Nagle Hall Adaptive Reuse

Located on Academic Plaza, Nagle Hall sits just south of the Academic Building and across from its twin, Bolton Hall. With a modest 29,500-square-foot footprint, the building challenged modern expectations for mechanical systems, restrooms, storage, and accessible circulation. Treanor’s team responded with a tailored preservation strategy that restored the building’s plan and features while integrating flexible, future-ready space and systems that elevate its role as a modern workplace.

The adaptive reuse program reimagined the building as modern office space for the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies (OGAPS) and the Provost’s IT Department. Both groups were located elsewhere on campus and would move into this building after the renovation. Treanor previously developed the Campus Preservation Guidelines, which provided the basis for the design for this adaptive reuse. Using the guidelines, our team identified the historic features of the building, which included the central stair as well as historic doors, exterior plaster walls with wood trim that were intact, and wood flooring under layers of later flooring. The guidelines also prioritized the spaces of the building and provided a historical context for the work. In the end, these historic features gave the renovated building its character.

Nagle Hall’s character also stems from its original floor plan and spatial organization. A single central stair was the only means of exit and access, other than the elevator, to the floors of the building. The ability to retain this stair, despite its not meeting building codes directly, was critical to the reuse of this building. Two stairs, or even additions for stairs, would have taken up valuable space and changed the interior plan and organization significantly, neither of which was desired. In addition, the university’s standards for core functions such as restrooms, electrical and data closets, janitor storage, and mechanical space were established for much larger buildings.

Drawing from past experience with the similarly sized YMCA Building, Treanor identified this challenge early in the design process. Working closely with the university, the standards were adapted to this building by allowing some unisex restrooms to replace single-sex restrooms, data closets on every other floor rather than on every floor, electrical closets that open onto hallways rather than being self-contained, and reduced janitor storage. These functions were designed to be located in the middle of the building, across from the single stair, which allowed for the maximum amount of usable space on each side. Without this compact, efficient design, the building would have lost critical usable space and flexibility, both essential to the Heritage Building’s long life.

Preserving Nagle Hall’s historic building materials was a central design priority. The exterior perimeter walls of plaster with wood baseboards and trim were restored. The central stair and the corridors were restored with infill materials where the original was missing. The original wainscot was re-established in these areas, now matching that of the stair. The wood flooring of the office areas was uncovered, and repairs were made with flooring that was salvaged from another historic building on the campus. The limited number of historic doors were restored and placed in the historic corridors where they would best reinforce the building’s historic integrity. Original terrazzo flooring was also repaired, and the historic plaster ceilings of the corridor and stair were re-exposed to view and restored with period-appropriate lighting.

Integrating modern mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and technology systems into the historic structure that had less floor-to-floor height than modern-day buildings posed a significant challenge, particularly in the basement, where overhead clearance was only 7’-6” in most places. Using 3D laser scanning and BIM modeling to document existing conditions and identify pathways for utilities was critical to designing a successful project that accommodated new systems without losing the character of the historic spaces. To this end, mechanical systems were kept outside of corridors and in the lower level, careful coordination of light fixtures between ducts and other elements took place during design and construction. Through this coordination, the team successfully routed modern systems—including life safety, HVAC, and data—within tight tolerances. Four new mechanical rooms and a discreet rooftop penthouse replaced outdated rooftop units and brought the building up to contemporary performance standards while remaining visually unobtrusive.

To retain the original central stair, fire separation partitions were placed in a hold-open position in the corridors. Working in partnership with Texas state agencies, the team pursued and received key code variances that allowed the building to retain its original stair and corridor configurations while meeting safety requirements. The design also introduced a new accessible ramp, accessible restrooms, improved interior circulation, and supported secure IT infrastructure without diminishing the building’s historic identity.

These improvements not only extended the life of the building but also allowed for inclusive access and flexibility in programming, further aligning with the university’s long-term goals for its historic core.

Supporting the campus vision

Texas A&M’s master plan calls for the preservation of its Heritage Buildings, but that goal is not sustainable if the historic buildings do not function well and serve the larger mission of the university, which is to educate. The adaptive reuse of Nagle Hall demonstrates that you can have both—the historic building preserved with its character intact inside and outside, and a flexible, enduring space designed to serve today’s needs and tomorrow’s possibilities.