YMCA Lyric Theater Renovation

Beginning in 2018, the historic Lyric Theater located in downtown Kansas City, MO underwent a major $35 million renovation to transform the building into a full-service YMCA.  To preserve its iconic look, a 30 foot wide section of the original structure, including the historic front façade and lobby areas, was to remain protected and in place while the remaining structure was demolished and replaced with a modern structure.  The original theater structure was constructed in 1926 and consisted of custom steel plate girders and columns, concrete-encased steel framing, concrete slabs and frames, and masonry façade.  Special Inspections & Design provided specialty structural engineering services to facilitate the safe demolition of the original structure.  This included preparing a site-specific phased demolition plan detailing the order of operations for the demolition process; analyzing the existing southern portion of the building remaining in place and designing temporary wind shoring to be used until the new structure is completed; designing and detailing temporary shoring to resist lateral earth pressure in the basement until the new structure is completed; designing and detailing shoring towers to facilitate the removal of the existing balcony; and designing and detailing a plan to use rubble backfill to temporarily stabilize basement walls in the north portion of the building during demolition.