The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently selected Henry Adams as the historic design specialist for the replacement/upgrade of the mechanical systems for The Woodrow Wilson House in Washington, DC. The magnificent home, built in 1915, once belonged to the 28^th President of the United States, Thomas Woodrow Wilson and his wife Edith. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places the four-story townhome consists of 14,200 square feet.

Upon the death of Edith Wilson in 1961 she bequeathed the home to the National Trust for Historic Preservation serving as a monument to the late President. The National Historic Landmark, which opened as a museum in 1963, has been maintained much as it was in the 1920s when the former President and Mrs. Wilson took ownership with their furniture, art, and personal belongings still on display.  

The mechanical scope includes the installation of two VRF heat pump systems providing heating and cooling to the building, one for the north half and one for the south half of the landmark.  The VRF controls will have a cloud/Wi-Fi feature to allow for the system to be controlled remotely through an app. The electrical scope includes replacing the electrical service and equipment in the basement to accommodate the additional load of the new HVAC system.The new system is sensitively designed to have a minimal impact on the interior and exterior visual character of the historic home.

The highly skilled electrical and mechanical engineers at HENRY ADAMS used their expertise in historic preservation to work through some challenges faced during the design project including routing refrigerant piping and locating indoor mechanical units in order to blend them within the homes historic fabric.

Additional Information:

Location	Washington, DC
Owner	National Trust for Historic Preservation

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