Universal Window and Door of Marlborough, Mass., recently supplied more than 600 of its Series 700 windows for the revitalization of the Langston Terrace Dwellings in Washington, D.C. Langston Terrace first opened in 1938 as part of the New Deal relief work initiated by Franklin D. Roosevelt, and was the first U.S. government-funded public housing project in Washington and the second in the nation. The finished building included 274 units for working-class families, and 34 more units were added in 1965.

Langston Terrace was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and on the D.C. Inventory of Historic sites in 1987. When the time came to replace the old steel windows, Universal was enlisted to complete the project as it was able to offer steel replicas that would meet the historic needs of the project, while also providing energy efficiency, durability and ease of use.

“Our challenge was to provide windows that would maintain the look of the historic building, while providing energy efficiency,” says Paul Weisblatt, technical director for Universal Window. “Architects were also looking for systems where the glass could be removed by maintenance personnel to install and uninstall air condition units without interfering with the integrity of the grids and the window in general. The Series 700 was the perfect solution because of our built-in technologies that enable the safe removal and replacement of glass, while also meeting their needs for efficiency and long-term durability.

Window features include a custom seal produced by Lauren Manufacturing, a Lauren International company, designed to prevent water from entering the muntin grooves, and Super Spacer® from Edgetech, also a Lauren company. The spacer is designed to provide thermal performance and long-term durability in the field.

Universal’s windows have been used in a number of historic projects and the company anticipates continued growth as architects and builders focus on designing for efficiency and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification.