McCarthy Building Cos. is nearing the halfway point of a $62-million, design-build seismic renovation of the 20-story-tall, 1-million-sq-ft Robert A. Young Federal Building (known as the RAY Building) in downtown St. Louis. Overdue for stabilization, plans initially called for heavy concrete shear walls throughout that would not only displace employees for years but also leave the historic structure still vulnerable to the strongest quakes. But innovative analysis offered other options.
Constructed in 1933, the concrete-framed building was originally the St. Louis Mart and Terminal Warehouse back when the railroad was the most popular way to travel and ship merchandise. The U.S. Army acquired the building in 1941 and converted it into offices after the property fell under the umbrella of the General Services Administration (GSA) in the 1960s. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.