Gillioz takes center stage at Salute to Construction banquet

After three years of spearheading renovations to Gillioz Theatre, Dornan accepted on behalf of the Landmarks Preservation Trust the Springfield Contractors Association’s Developer of the Year Award.

SCA handed out its industry awards at the annual Salute to Construction banquet Nov. 2.

Dornan is board president of the Landmarks Trust, which owns the Gillioz and the neighboring Morris Building.

The rehab project, 16 years in the making, cost about $10 million. Construction, which had been ongoing for nearly three years, wrapped up with several days of grand opening events at the theater in early October.

Dornan attributes the success of the project to local pride.

“There were 29 firms involved, and 25 of them were local,” Dornan said. “There is a pride and engagement with the people who actually did the work on the project, from (general contractor) DeWitt & Associates all the way across the board. It was a tremendous communitywide effort, done by community people.”

Another point of pride for the theater’s developers is the relatively small amount of debt on the project; only about $1 million is owed on the $10 million price tag, and Dornan said ongoing capital campaigns should pay off the remaining debt, hopefully by the end of the year.

The Gillioz project also spawned other awards: Superintendent of the Year to Darrell Montgomery of DeWitt & Associates for his project management and Craftsman of the Year to Robert Naftzger of Conrad Schmitt Studios, which was responsible for the paint and plaster restoration.

Kitchen remodeling

Across town, a project of a very different sort earned Stephanie Ireland the SCA Architect of the Year Award.

Ireland was recognized for her work in remodeling The Kitchen’s Medical Clinic, 1630 N. Jefferson Ave. Clinic officials said the $300,000 project, funded by a three-year grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health, wouldn’t have been possible without donated services and materials from companies such as Ireland & Associates, which designed the new space. Other companies also donating services included general contractor DeWitt, which provided services at cost, and subcontractors such as Malone Finkle Eckhardt & Collins, Harry Cooper Supply and Melton Electric.

Ireland said her work was just a small part of what made the project possible.

“I donated my time, asked the engineers to do the same, and they did,” she said. “The contractors donated a lot of their time, and they talked to the subcontractors and had them donate some time and materials. All I did was push the snowball a little bit – everybody else jumped on.”

Ireland mentioned the building’s windows as an example; the budget did not include money to replace all the windows in the remodeled portion of the building, but Builders Glass stepped forward and donated the supplies.

The outpouring of support, Ireland said, came because people believed in the mission of the facility, founded by Sister Lorraine Biebel in 1983.

“This facility touches so many people,” Ireland said. “People saw the vision that Sister Lorraine had, so they volunteered a lot above and beyond what was asked.”

Impact

SCA has awarded annual developer and architect awards since 1983; past winners include hotelier John Q. Hammons, Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, the Harry Cooper family and Springfield Underground. Last year, Magers Enteprises LLC received the award for development of Battlefield Market Place.

“It’s an effort to try to recognize the professionals who perform above and beyond the call,” SCA President Cliff Kennedy said. “It doesn’t have to be the largest, biggest-money project. It can be a project that has a lot of impact on the community, which I think is reflected in this year’s awards. There were other projects that had a lot larger economic impact, but these projects had community value and stood out this year.”

Salutations

Developer of the Year: Springfield Landmarks Preservation Trust, presented by SCA

Project: Completion of renovation efforts on the Gillioz Theatre and neighboring Morris Building. Major construction work, ongoing for about three years, concluded with a grand opening in early October.

Architect of the Year: Ireland & Associates, presented by SCA

Project: Remodeling of The Kitchen’s medical clinic facilities. The project, which cost abut $300,000 in grant money, would have cost much more without donations from companies such as Ireland.

Craftsman of the Year: Robert Naftzger, Conrad Schmitt Studios, presented by American Institute of Architects

Project: Gillioz Theatre. Naftzger was the foreman of the crew that performed paint and plaster restoration, as well as gilding, glazing, wood graining and stenciling work inside the theater.

Superintendent of the Year: Darrell Montgomery, DeWitt and Associates, presented by AIA

Project: Gillioz Theatre. Montgomery led renovation efforts that presented construction, logistical and coordination challenges constantly throughout the course of the project.