Leaders with Russell, Davenport, accept the Master Builders of Iowa's Masters Award at a ceremony last month. Pictured, from left, are: Sam Russell, project director; Trevor Reed, project engineer;
Erin Marsh, project manager; Travis Benz, superintendent; and Beth Beverlin, senior preconstruction coordinator. The company won in the $25 million-plus category, the largest category. CREDIT MASTER BUILDERS OF IOWA
The Davenport-based Russell has won a Master Builders of Iowa (MBI) Masters Award for its work on the new University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art in Iowa City. The Masters Award is given annually in recognition of “exceptional efforts of a construction team in executing the process of completing a project,” according to MBI’s […]
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The Davenport-based Russell has won a Master Builders of Iowa (MBI) Masters Award for its work on the new University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art in Iowa City. The Masters Award is given annually in recognition of “exceptional efforts of a construction team in executing the process of completing a project,” according to MBI’s website. Russell company leaders accepted the award, presented for the over $25 million category – the largest of three categories – at the MBI winter conference on Tuesday, Feb. 28.The $38.5 million museum project is years in the making after the devastating 2008 flood that damaged multiple buildings on the University of Iowa campus. After years of extensive planning, Russell was selected in July 2019 by the university to construct the new 86,200-square-foot, three-story, renamed Stanley Museum of Art. Working in collaboration with BNIM Architects, the University of Iowa, and museum staff, construction began in August 2019. Originally named the University of Iowa Museum of Art, the space was created around the concepts of learning, community, and appreciating fine art since it was established in 1969. Its impressive collection is home to over 800 African art objects and works by notable European and American artists including Pablo Picasso, Grant Wood, and Jackson Pollock, whose 1943 masterpiece "Mural" has been the esteemed treasure of the collection since it was donated in 1951 to the university by art collector Peggy Guggenheim. “I am absolutely thrilled to receive this recognition of the Stanley Museum of Art’s beautiful new building and the elegant work that Russell did to create it,” museum Director Lauren Lessing said in a news release announcing the award. “I have so enjoyed watching visitors from across Iowa and around the world respond with delight as they cross our threshold. It’s truly gratifying to know that the leaders of Iowa’s construction industry share their admiration.” The Masters Award, presented by the Master Builders of Iowa, is a coveted recognition across Iowa’s construction industry. The last time Russell placed first in the $25 million-plus category was in 2003 with its extensive renovation and addition project at the East Campus of Genesis Health System. Master Builders of Iowa is the recognized leader of the construction industry in the state. Founded in 1912, MBI is one of 89 chapters of the Associated General Contractors of America, the most influential and widely respected construction association in the country.“To say we are excited about this project being selected for a Masters Award, is an understatement,” Russell President Caitlin Russell said in the release. “We are extremely proud to be recognized by MBI, and this award is attributed to the hard working and valuable team members who successfully delivered this project for the university.” Established in Jim Russell in 1983, Russell is a regional and national provider of construction and development services with headquarters in Davenport and other offices in St. Louis and Kansas City. Russell has delivered more than $3 billion in projects across 33 states.The project traces its roots back to June 2008 when the swollen Iowa River swept through the state university’s campus including the then University of Iowa Museum of Art. The museum credits quick action by its determined staff and volunteers with preserving every piece in the collection. However, the building was deemed uninsurable by its art insurer, Lloyd’s of London. Without a permanent building, the collection was divided among several locations, and the museum staff found new opportunities to share art with the community until a new home could be built. The new facility, renamed the Stanley Museum of Art for its largest donor, According to the release, the new museum is a true masterpiece in itself – designed with 47,838 square feet of usable space including underground parking, a visual classroom, three-story lightwell, visible storage, art lounge, two outdoor terraces, and 16,500 square feet of gallery space. Interior finishes include wood slat ceilings, wood flooring, custom access doors, custom built-in display cases, and custom easel walls. Some of its unique features include:
The exterior curtain wall façade includes an alternating, and complex, pattern of brick texture and finish that transforms with the change of seasons and the amount of sunlight.
A three-story lightwell, located in the middle of the building, brings a unique feature providing a sense of connection between the floors. Natural light is drawn into the space connecting visitors to the outdoors through low-iron glass that is clearer than typical glass.
It features a large, custom freight elevator with a 21-foot by 10-foot interior cab that was specially designed to be able to transport Jackson Pollock’s enormous work “Mural” (8′ 1 1/4″ x 19′ 10″). The 19,807-pound elevator can carry up to 10,000 pounds and is currently the largest elevator in the state. The entire museum was designed and built with this painting in mind. Quad Cities art lovers will recall how for three years following the flood “Mural” was on display at the Figge Art Museum in downtown Davenport, where more than 150,000 Iowa residents, students and visitors enjoyed the masterpiece.
