This year Daniels Construction was the General Contractor recognized at the 2026 Historical Restoration Award Ceremony for outstanding work done at the Ringling Brothers Office, located on the Circus World Campus in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Presented by the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation, this award highlights Daniels’ dedication to safeguard local heritage and sustain ties to our community, all while continuing to follow through on our promise of Building Better.
Wisconsin History Reimagined: The Ringling Brothers Office
Daniels Construction was tasked with accurately restoring the Ringling Brothers Office, a structure originally built in 1915, to a sound, fully functional office building, with its key feature being its historical charm. Through the years, the structure underwent numerous modifications, with one repurposing the building to serve as a residential unit. The changes added an unstable roofing system that was built directly over the deteriorating original, and sunk the original vault flooring to make way for vehicle parking. Daniels worked in tandem with the Wisconsin Historical Society along with InSite Consulting Architects, to access archival photographs and documents and maintain the historical integrity and accuracy of the earliest structure as crews updated its inner workings to comply with safety standards.
Daniels blended historical flair with modern solutions throughout the entire process. Steel sheathing was installed in the vault space, acting as further structural reinforcement to natural weather incidents and termites, strengthening the bones of the structure in ways traditional wood sheathing does not. The Wisconsin Historical Society sourced and located a safe intended to sit on the vault’s original flooring. However, with it weighing in at 2,000 pounds, it quickly became apparent that the previous “false floor” design would not hold. Daniels swiftly reworked the plan to include hidden support that would undoubtedly bolster the safe for years to come, all without forfeiting the project schedule or budget.
Outside of the vault space, Daniels continued refurbishing the weathered building’s stabilization systems throughout the roofing and flooring. After carefully disassembling the roof, the original 1915 beams and rafters of the Ringling Brothers Office were uncovered. In order to preserve the historical wooden timber while ensuring the integrity of the roofing system, Daniels installed LVL, or laminated veneer lumber, a predictably strong wood material used to reinforce a structure, alongside the original wood supports. LVL beams were placed in both the roofing and flooring networks, including structural joists, headers, and rafters, all working to supplement the deteriorating wood.
To advance the overarching goal of historical preservation, the involved teams decided to restore the interior walls of the structure to the initial color scheme. To achieve historically accurate representation, InSite collaborated with Daniels and a Historic Paint Conservateur to conduct a carbon analysis of the interior walls, which uncovered years of layered paint. The team decided on a color palette that was as close as possible to the original colors, using both the carbon analysis and a recreation of 1915 design, achieving this through a study of popular aesthetics for the period.
The basement of the structure proved to be the most challenging portion of the restoration, with years of water percolation eroding the ground and compromising the previous stone foundation. Due to the building’s proximity to the banks of the Baraboo River and with the high-water table, the ground was unstable and forced crews to excavate debris and crumbling concrete by hand, limited to a narrow stairway and egress window. Once excavation was complete, a new concrete foundation was poured that would support a sump pump and drainage system, preventing future water erosion, along with modern HVAC, fire, and nitrogen protection units. The Ringling Brothers Office restoration is a true testament to Daniels’ commitment to preserving Wisconsin history and showcases Daniels’ ability to value-engineer solutions as challenges arise.
Daniels as a Historical Renovation Contractor
The Ringling Brothers Office was not the first, nor the last, historical restoration that Daniels Construction has undertaken. Since the 1980’s Daniels has been trusted by the State of Wisconsin to complete work on the Wisconsin State Capitol building; performing demolitions, dome repairs, and even carrying out a restoration of ‘Wisconsin’, the iconic statue perched at the top of the capitol.
At the Mineral Point Opera House in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, Daniels removed and replaced the deteriorating mortar between bricks, reversing years of flood and water damage. This process is a masonry operation nicknamed ‘tuckpointing’ that offers new life to structural finishings.
In 2015, Daniels wrapped up a two-year long historical renovation at the Al Ringling Theater in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Crews meticulously removed and restored theater seating on the main floor and balconies, with all 17 balconies receiving a full, historically accurate makeover. Daniels was able to save the original 1915 hardwood flooring throughout the entire theater, by sanding and refinishing the wood. This brought a much-needed refresh, both aesthetic and structural, to the historical space. A company based out of New York, who specializes in historic paint restoration, joined Daniels in saving the decorative paint on the auditorium ceiling, which was originally inspired by the Versailles Opera House. The team was able to re-plaster the walls with real horse-hair plaster, and hand-paint the murals with historically accurate colors, achieving this without any demolition in order to preserve the historic bones of the theater. The front façade of the theater even received a brand-new marquee, complete with updated bulbs and wiring, meeting modern safety standards. This renovation was awarded the 2016 Historic Preservation Award for Restoration by the Madison Trust for Historical Preservation, a clear indicator of the depth and quality of work performed at the Al Ringling Theater.
Daniels additionally completed work at the Wyoming Valley School, located in Spring Green, Wisconsin. The building was originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956, making it not only a historical space, but a physical representation of architectural legacy. Careful renovation of the school included chimney and window replacements, along with a roof restoration.
The Stoughton Train Depot, originally built in 1913, is under renovation as Daniels works to blend modernity with history. The project scope includes complete demolition in existing bathrooms to make way for modern appliances, and salvaging an original wooden ramp to re-use as stair treads. In the common area, crews are at work sanding and refinishing the original 113-year-old wood flooring. Exterior restoration efforts include stucco repairs, tuck-pointing to preserve and restore deteriorated masonry, restoration of existing window frames, and repainting all exterior walls in a historically accurate color palette. The Stoughton Train Depot is on track to be completed by late summer 2026.
Final Thoughts
Daniels believes that our mission of Building Better: People, Futures, and Communities begins with the acknowledgement of our history. As a General Contractor, Daniels Construction has been, and will continue to be, devoted to the preservation and restoration of Wisconsin history as part of our commitment to honor the past while building for the future.