Honorable Mention, Historic
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Leu House Museum and Harry P. Leu Gardens have become a cultural icon in central Florida. Passed down from generation to generation, this house became a narrative, stamped with each passing era, solidifying its personality from when it was owned by Harry P. and Mary Jane Leu from 1936-61.
During Hurricane Irma in 2017, an oak tree fell through the house and destroyed the east wing’s roof and damaged parts of the envelope. This breach of the exterior envelope allowed severe rains from multiple subsequent storms to infiltrate the home. Moreover, the Florida heat, standing water, and porous historic plaster ceilings and walls led to an almost instantaneous bloom of various molds and fungi. The City of Orlando relied on KMF Architects to develop a plan for emergency enclosure and structural bracing. The architects also helped the city coordinate with various mitigation teams while they investigated, analyzed and prepared a design restoration package.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Leu House Museum and Harry P. Leu Gardens have become a cultural icon in central Florida. 
Passed down from generation to generation, the Leu House became a narrative, stamped with each passing era, solidifying its personality from when it was owned by Harry P. and Mary Jane Leu from 1936-61. 
The Leu House’s Study. 
The Parlor the Leu House. 
Much of the existing wood flooring in the house was damaged by standing water. Mitigation teams ran a drying process to quickly address the damaged floorboards. The architects then specified a rejuvenation process that removed all the water staining without making the floors look new. 
BEFORE: During Hurricane Irma in 2017, an oak tree fell through the house and destroyed the east wing’s roof and damaged parts of the envelope. The Florida heat, standing water, and porous historic plaster ceilings and walls led to an almost instantaneous bloom of various molds and fungi. 
The city and KMF Architects teamed with multiple artisans and fabricators to replicate the house’s oldest finish: a handpainted Cameo print wallcovering located in the Leu bedroom.
It was apparent after analyzing the conditions that significant portions of the historic plaster would need to be removed down to and including the cypress lath because of the extensive water damage and hazardous organic materials. Plaster that tested clean was preserved. Exposed lath was resecured and replaced with cypress where required.
Additionally, much of the existing wood flooring was damaged by standing water, which caused severe cupping and board separation. KMF Architects worked with mitigation teams to remove water and run a drying process to quickly address the damaged floorboards. This process reversed almost all cupping and settled the boards. The architects specified a rejuvenation process that removed all the water staining without making the floors look new.
Another essential feature of the Leu House is the wallcoverings. Each wallcovering is distinct in
its execution, so much so that guests frequently reference a room by its unique finishes—“the Red Room,” for instance. KMF Architects designed the main living space to retain its “Red Room” status with a hand-painted custom-color damask pattern.
Through skilled architectural archaeology, the team uncovered the house’s oldest finish: a hand- painted Cameo print wallcovering located in the Leu bedroom. Years of layered paper were delicately removed to expose this distinct Victorian Cameo, depicting two women tending a garden and collecting bouquets in separate poses. Because of this discovery’s historic significance, the city and KMF Architects teamed with multiple artisans and fabricators to replicate the scene. Using traditional (hand sketching, block printing and painting) and modern (scanning, color correction, digital printing) methods, the team was able to depict what would have existed in the early 1900s. The museum now exhibits an original salvaged piece of the historic plaster wall with attached wallcovering alongside details regarding its restoration and the city’s commitment to the museum’s renewal.
PHOTOS: KMF Architects
— Anthony Vivirito, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, associate, The Architectural Team Inc., Metamorphosis Awards judge
“Fantastic restoration project that preserves a prominent local piece of history.”
Retrofit Team
METAMORPHOSIS AWARD WINNER and ARCHITECT: KMF Architects
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Bowen Engineering
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Tyrell Enterprises LLC, (407) 344-0334
Materials
EXTERIOR MOLDINGS: Florida Custom Mold
JOINT SEALANTS: Sika
PAINT: Sherwin-Williams
SHINGLES: Owens Corning
PLASTER MOLDS: MasterMold from Abatron
PLASTER: Hydrocal White Gypsum Cement from USG
FIBERGLASS MESH: USG
RED ROOM DAMASK WALLCOVERING: Farrow&Ball
WALLCOVERINGS: Bradbury & Bradbury and Schumacher
