Terracon and Partners Recognized for Historic Preservation Project in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Terracon announces the Mustin Seaplane Hangar Mitigation Project, a collaborative effort with several partners, has received the 2026 Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Special Focus Award: Ralph Modjeski Award for Transportation Design, Preservation or Archaeology.

Presented by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission and Preservation Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards recognize projects and partnerships that preserve, document and interpret the Commonwealth’s historic resources. Terracon’s team was recognized along with PennDOT, the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, PhilaPort and other project partners to document and preserve the legacy of the hangar.

“We are honored to have worked on this project, which showcased our creativity, technical ability and research skills,” said Jenna Thomas-Cline, environmental field scientist in Terracon’s Pittsburgh office. She said the team’s mitigation materials preserve the history of the Mustin Hangar, Anton Tedesko, and seaplane aviation along the Delaware River for future generations. The project also demonstrates the value of the Section 106 process and collaboration among federal agencies, the state historic preservation office and the public to protect historic and cultural resources.

Constructed in 1943 at the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, the Mustin Seaplane Hangar was the last surviving World War II-era seaplane hangar at the site and a notable example of structural engineer Anton Tedesko’s innovative thin-shell reinforced concrete design. Preservation of the structure was no longer feasible, so Terracon and a multidisciplinary team salvaged artifacts and documented the hangar through large-format photography, aerial and interior laser scanning, a three-dimensional printed model, a digital reconstruction video, historical publications, exhibit panels and survey documentation. These resources are now available online through the Tinicum Township Historical Society, preserving public access to the hangar’s transportation, engineering, military, architectural and aviation history even though the building itself no longer survives.

About Terracon

Terracon is an employee-owned, multidiscipline consulting firm comprised of more than 8,000 curious minds focused on solving engineering and technical challenges from more than 200 locations nationwide.