Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) is an American corporation of

architects An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the li ...

, and materials scientists specializing in the investigation, analysis, testing, and design of repairs for historic and contemporary buildings and structures. Founded in 1956, WJE is headquartered in

Northbrook, Illinois Northbrook is a suburb of Chicago, located at the northern edge of Cook County, Illinois, United States, on the border of Lake County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 35,222. When incorporated in 1901, the village was known as Shermerv ...

, and has ove
600 professionals
i
twenty offices
across the United States. WJE personnel are specialized in architectural, structural, and civil engineering; materials conservation,

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

and

petrography Petrography is a branch of petrology that focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks. Someone who studies petrography is called a petrographer. The mineral content and the textural relationships within the rock are described in detail. The class ...

, and testing and instrumentation.

History

1956–1970: Beginning Years

Jack R. Janney originally established WJE in 1956 as Janney and Associates. Earlier that year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower enacted the

Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, also known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, was enacted on June 29, 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law. With an original authorization of $25 billion for ...

, authorizing the construction of over 40,000 miles of roads for the interstate highway system. Working for the Portland Cement Association (PCA), Janney was recognized for his knowledge of prestressed concrete by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and was offered a consulting position for a new construction project utilizing full scale load testing. During this time, Janney established his own firm with fellow engineer and neighbor Jack Wiss. In 1957, the company became Wiss and Janney Associates. In 1961, former PCA colleague Dick Elstner joined the company and it was renamed Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Shortly thereafter, the

United States National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the N ...

retained WJE to conduct full-scale load tests at the site of the

1964 New York World's Fair The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or ...

WJE Projects throughout the 1950s and 1960s

* 1964 -

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

- fullscale load testing * 1970 – Present -

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

- long-term condition assessment and rehabilitation services

WJE Projects throughout the 1980s

* 1981 - Kansas City Hyatt collapse -

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

* 1985–Present - Baha'i Temple, ornamental concrete investigation and repair * 1988 -

Aon Center (Chicago) The Aon Center (200 East Randolph Street, formerly Amoco Building) is a modern supertall skyscraper in the Chicago Loop, Chicago, Illinois, United States, designed by architect firms Edward Durell Stone and The Perkins and Will partnership, ...

- investigation of marble panels and recladding

1991-2000

WJE participated in the reconstruction of the ill-fated

TWA Flight 800 Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA800) was a Boeing 747-100 that exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 8:31pm. EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy Internationa ...

, which exploded shortly after take off on July 17, 1996. The reconstructed aircraft segment was featured in many television news broadcasts and publications. Additionally, over a period of twelve years, WJE led a multidisciplinary team that assisted the

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

in Washington, D.C. with assessing and addressing issues of deterioration and obsolescence.

WJE Projects throughout the 1990s

* 1991-2005 -

- Washington, D.C. - investigation and preservation, and rehabilitation design * 1996 -

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...

- reassembled recovered pieces of the plane to permit unobstructed viewing of the aircraft to assist in the diagnosis of the cause of the crash * 1998 - Cape Hatteras Lighthouse -

Buxton, North Carolina Buxton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) on Hatteras Island (part of the Outer Banks) near Cape Hatteras. It is located in Dare County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, it had a populati ...

- preservation and instrumentation for relocation * 1998–Present -

Wacker Drive Wacker Drive is a major multilevel street in Chicago, Illinois, running along the south side of the main branch and the east side of the south branch of the Chicago River in the Loop.Hayner, Don and Tom McNamee, ''Streetwise Chicago'', "Wacke ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

- structural and durability studies for reconstruction * 1999 -

Alcatraz Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pris ...

Cellhouse -

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

- stabilization and seismic upgrade

2000-Present

WJE continued to undertake many new assignments, including the investigation of

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie that took place near Ohio's South Bass Island, in which Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry led a fleet to victory in one of the most decisive naval battles to occur i ...

, restoration services at the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress) ...

, plaza investigation and repair services for the

Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, also known as the LBJ Presidential Library, is the presidential library and museum of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the United States (1963–1969). It is located on the grounds of t ...

, facade restoration of the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 int ...

, comprehensive planning studies for

Aloha Stadium Aloha Stadium is a closed multi-purpose stadium located in Halawa, Hawaii, a western suburb of Honolulu (though with a Honolulu address). It is the largest stadium in the state of Hawaii. , the stadium ceased fan-attended operations indefinit ...

, and a condition assessment and materials evaluation following the I-580 connector collapse at the

MacArthur Maze The MacArthur Maze (or simply the Maze, also called the Distribution Structure) is a large freeway interchange near the east end of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in Oakland, California. It splits Bay Bridge traffic into three freeways— ...

. In August 2006, the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts ( Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' E ...

retained WJE to undertake a comprehensive safety audit of the Central Artery/Tunnel project, also known as the "

Big Dig (Boston, Massachusetts) The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project), commonly known as the Big Dig, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery of Interstate 93 (I-93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into the 1.5-mile (2.4& ...

". WJE engineers, architects, and materials scientists completed the stem-to-stern safety audit in ninety days. In August 2007, the

Minnesota Department of Transportation The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT, ) oversees transportation by all modes including land, water, air, rail, walking and bicycling in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state ...

(MnDOT) retained WJE to conduct an investigation following the collapse of the I-35W Bridge to determine the cause of the collapse. WJE was responsible for planning and overseeing the removal and dismantlement of all structural components so the

NTSB The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inci ...

and other investigators could examine and record conditions at the site. In August 2011, the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

retained WJE to assess earthquake damage to the Washington Monument following the August 24 earthquake. In September, members of WJE's Difficult Access Team rappelled from the Monument's exterior over the course of several days to visually inspect for damage.

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

, which hit in October 2012, was a deadly and destructive storm that impacted twenty-four states with particularly severe damage in New Jersey and New York. WJE responded to hundreds of calls from clients seeking assistance for hurricane-related assessment and investigative services. The

Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge The Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge is a bridge on the north side of Green Bay, Wisconsin. It carries Interstate 43 over the Fox River just south of its mouth into Green Bay. Formerly known as the Tower Drive Bridge, it was renamed in 2002 "in recog ...

, crossing the Fox River in Green Bay, Wisconsin, was temporarily closed when a 400-foot stretch of deck sagged due to significant and sudden settlement of a pier. Shortly after the event in 2013, WJE was retained to investigate the failure and to design a temporary stabilization structure. Over the past two decades,

personnel noticed discoloration and streaking at the stainless steel exterior of the iconic

Gateway Arch The Gateway Arch is a monument in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Some sources consider ...

in St. Louis, Missouri. During several phases from 2005 to 2015, WJE investigated and documented the history and conditions of the Gateway Arch. As part of a phased corrosion study to determine the source of distress, a team of WJE staff utilized industrial rope access techniques to access surfaces of the structure not seen up close since the 630-foot monument was completed in 1965.

WJE Projects 2000–Present

* 2001 - Poplar Street Complex -

East St. Louis, Illinois East St. Louis is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois. It is directly across the Mississippi River from Downtown St. Louis, Missouri and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. Once a b ...

- Seismic and Redundancy Retrofit Project * 2005 -

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

- Damage Inspection * 2006–2007 -

- Stem-to-Stern Safety Audit * 2007 -

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

- Plaza Investigation and Repair Services * 2007 -

Put-in-Bay, Ohio Put-in-Bay is a village located on South Bass Island in Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States, east of Toledo. The population was 154 at the 2020 census. The village is a popular summer resort and recreational destinati ...

- Investigation and Repair of Monument * 2007 - I-35W Bridge -

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...

- Collapse Investigation * 2007 -

Illinois State Capitol The Illinois State Capitol, located in Springfield, Illinois, houses the legislative and executive branches of the government of the U.S. state of Illinois. The current building is the sixth to serve as the capitol building since Illinois was a ...

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

- House Chamber, Art Glass laylight Reconstruction * 2007 -

Blackstone Hotel The Blackstone Hotel is a historic 21-story hotel on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Balbo Drive in the Michigan Boulevard Historic District in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. Built between 1908 and 1910, it is on the Nation ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

- Exterior Facade Investigation * 2007 -

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

- Structural Certification * 2007 -

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

, California - Condition Assessment and Materials Evaluation * 2011 - The Washington Monument - Washington, D.C. - Condition Assessment and Repair Recommendation Due to Earthquake * 2012 -

- New Jersey and New York - Investigation of Storm Damage Claims * 2013 -

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea le ...

- Failure Investigation and Temporary Stabilization Design * 2015 -

- St. Louis, Missouri - Corrosion Investigation and Historic Structure Report

Firm and Project Awards

Cellhouse -

- California Preservation Foundation: Design Award in the Craftsmanship category, 2005; International Concrete Repair Institute: Award of Excellence in the Repair of Historic Structures category, 2005. *

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

- Chicago Landmark Award for Preservation Excellence from the Commission of Chicago Landmarks, 2008; Excellence in Masonry (gold award) from the Illinois Indiana Masonry Council, 2008; Design Award (silver medal) from the Association of Licensed Architects, 2008; Project of the Year from Midwest Construction, 2008 *

Eldridge Street Synagogue The Eldridge Street Synagogue is a synagogue and National Historic Landmark in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1887, it is one of the first synagogues erected in the United States by Eastern European Jews. The Orthodox congre ...

- The

New York Landmarks Conservancy The New York Landmarks Conservancy is a non-profit organization "dedicated to preserving, revitalizing, and reusing" historic structures in New York state. It provides technical assistance, project management services, grants, and loans, to owne ...

: Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award, 2008 *

Hyatt Regency Hotel Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vaca ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

- International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI): Outstanding Project of the Year: Award of Excellence in the High-Rise category, 2006 *

- Executive Director's Award for Pride in Partnership; Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award, 2007 *

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

- The New York Landmarks Conservancy: Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award, 2005 *

State Bar of California The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...

Building -

Structural Engineers Association of Northern California The Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) is a structural engineering association established in 1930. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, California. Initially a club for structural engineers to exchange technical inf ...

(SEAONC) Award of Excellence in the Retrofit/Alteration Category, 2007;http://www.seaonc.org/pdfs/JUNE%20Final.pdf Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel (IDEAS²) Awards: Presidential Award of Excellence in Structural Engineering, 2008 *Harden Wind Engine - Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) Award of Merit in the Historic Preservation Category, 2007 *

- Preservation League of New York State: Excellence in Historic Preservation Award, 2010, * Baha'i House of Worship -

Wilmette, Illinois Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a population of 27,087 at the 2010 census. The ...

- The International Concrete Repair Institute: Award of Merit, 2010, 2011 *

- The New York Landmarks Conservancy: Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award, 2011 *Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa -

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

- Historic Hotels of America: Best 2010 Preservation Success Story, 2010 *Sather Gate at the University of California, Berkeley -

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

- California Preservation Foundation: Design Award, 2010 *Savery Hall - University of Washington -

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

- MCAA: Tribute to Exemplary Achievements in Masonry Award, 2011 * Holy Name Cathedral -

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

- SEAOI: Award of Excellence, 2011 * Sherith Israel -

- California Preservation Foundation: Preservation Design Award, 2011 *

, Stephen A. Schwartzman Building -

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to s ...

(AIA): AIA Institute Honor Award for Architecture, 2013 *

Eisenhower Executive Office Building The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB)—formerly known as the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB), and originally as the State, War, and Navy Building—is a U.S. government building situated just west of the White House in the U.S. ca ...

- Washington, D.C. -

General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...

: Design Award, 2014 *

National September 11 Memorial and Museum The National September 11 Memorial & Museum (also known as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum) is a memorial and museum in New York City commemorating the September 11 attacks of 2001, which killed 2,977 people, and the 1993 World Trade Center bombi ...

(AIA): Honor Award (Interior Architecture), 2015; ''

Building Design+Construction A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and func ...

'' Building Team Award (Gold), 2015 *American Architectural Foundation: Oculus Award for Leadership in Design and Cultural Heritage, 2015 * Mount Moriah Cemetery Gatehouse - Philadelphia - Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia Preservation Achievement Grand Jury Award, 2018

References

External links

Official web site
{{Authority control Architecture firms based in Illinois American companies established in 1956 Engineering companies of the United States Engineering consulting firms Companies based in Northbrook, Illinois Consulting firms established in 1956