Historic Building ADA Accessibility: Liberty Station Threshold Retrofit
How can a historic building improve door threshold accessibility without permanently altering its original structure? At a property in the Liberty Station area of San Diego, California, SafePath Products® helped modernize six door thresholds of varying heights using a customized recycled rubber level-landing solution. The project combined careful prefabrication, preservation-conscious installation, and custom color coating while making use of more than 15,650 pounds of recycled tire material.
Project Overview
- Location: Historic building in the Liberty Station area of San Diego, California
- Project scope: Six door thresholds with varying heights in a covered level-landing setting
- Preservation requirement: No fasteners or adhesives attached to the original historic structure or substrate
- Materials and finish: Recycled rubber components with customized StoneCap™ color coating
- Production and installation: Prefabricated in Chico, California, and installed by certified installers over a weekend
The Challenges of Improving Accessibility in a Historic Building
Historic building accessibility upgrades require more than solving a change in elevation. This project had three specific challenges that influenced both the product design and the installation approach.
1. Accommodating Six Different Threshold Heights
The six door thresholds were not all the same height. SafePath needed a solution that could accommodate those variations within a covered level-landing area and provide a consistent walking surface at the entrances.
2. Protecting the Original Structure
The installation could not rely on fasteners or adhesives attached to the historic building or substrate. It also could not depend on thin-set leveling compounds to compensate for the different threshold heights. Preserving the existing surfaces was therefore a core engineering requirement, not simply a design preference.
3. Matching the Architectural Appearance
The finished level-landing surface needed to complement the building’s existing exterior color scheme while offering a textured, durable walking surface with long-term UV stability.
How SafePath Engineered the Threshold Solution
Timothy Vander Heiden, CEO of SafePath Products®, described the combination of differing threshold heights and restrictions on adhesives and leveling compounds as a significant challenge for the production and installation teams.
To address it, SafePath’s production team meticulously prefabricated the components at its manufacturing facility in Chico, California. Preparing the pieces before shipment helped the certified installation team fit the material to each doorway without fastening it to the original historic substrate.
Mike O’Malley, the SafePath Sales Executive who coordinated the project, highlighted the opportunity to demonstrate both the customized accessibility solution and the company’s color coating technology. The installation was carried out over a weekend to minimize disruption to the facility’s normal operations.
StoneCap™ Color Coating for Historic Architecture
In historic modernization projects, the appearance of a new accessibility surface can be almost as important as its functional design. For this installation, SafePath used its StoneCap™ color technology to coordinate the recycled rubber surface with the existing building colors.
The custom color selection reflected exterior design specifications associated with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. The textured walking surface was intended to provide traction and durability while respecting the character of the historic property.
Why Recycled Rubber Was Used
More than 15,650 pounds of recycled tire material were used to manufacture the accessibility components for the project. Recycled rubber offered a way to combine custom-fitted parts with a durable walking surface, while giving discarded tire material a new use in the built environment.
The project illustrates how material reuse, accessibility improvements, and architectural design considerations can work together when a standard, one-size-fits-all threshold solution is not suitable.
Project Results
The completed Liberty Station installation addressed six differently sized door thresholds while maintaining the project’s preservation and appearance requirements. The approach delivered:
- Custom-fitted threshold and level-landing components designed for varying doorway heights.
- Installation without fasteners or adhesives attached to the original historic structure.
- A custom-colored, textured recycled rubber walking surface that complemented the existing exterior design.
- Weekend installation planned to reduce interruptions to regular building operations.
For architects, specifiers, contractors, and facility managers, the project demonstrates the value of project-specific prefabrication when historic preservation requirements limit conventional construction methods.
Planning a Historic Building Accessibility Upgrade?
SafePath Products® offers recycled rubber accessibility products for commercial entrances, including EntryLevel™ Landings, threshold ramps, and custom transition solutions. The right approach depends on the existing conditions, entrance dimensions, historic preservation restrictions, and applicable accessibility requirements.
Planning a project with challenging doorway heights or preservation requirements? Request a bulk quote to discuss your entrance layout and project needs with SafePath Products®.
Frequently Asked Questions
In some projects, customized threshold or landing solutions can reduce the need for permanent attachments. The Liberty Station installation was designed without fasteners or adhesives attached to the historic structure or substrate. The feasibility of a similar approach depends on site and code requirements.
The project involved six thresholds of different heights, a covered level-landing setting, restrictions on attaching materials to the historic structure, and the need to match the existing exterior appearance.
SafePath used more than 15,650 pounds of recycled tire material to manufacture customized accessibility components, combining material reuse with a durable walking surface.
StoneCap™ color technology gave the recycled rubber surface a customized appearance suited to the property’s existing color scheme, while supporting the project’s need for a textured walking surface.
No. Accessibility compliance depends on the specific entrance layout, dimensions, slope, landing and door clearances, installation, and applicable standards. Each project should be evaluated against its own site conditions and code requirements.