Up There

The latest activity has centered around preparations to erect scaffolding on the front side of Benedictine Hall.  Larger cranes have been moved on site and the scaffolding was delivered yesterday (in between the rain storms).  Today the crew is examining the area at the base of the turrets that will require further demolition before they can install the steel structure to support the restored turrets (the steel is supposed to arrive and be installed in early June).  In addition, now that they know for sure what was under the front steps the architects are making necessary revisions to the plans for reconstructing the front entry.

(photo taken by Harley Lingerfelt)

Taking Steps

Weather delays (giving us much needed rain) and painstakingly slow work has made it look like not much progress has been made on the beginning phase of the restoration of Benedictine Hall. The results of the work that has been done to date, however, give evidence that something is actually happening.  The demolition crew has been literally dismantling the front steps of BH piece by piece, cleaning brick that will be reused in the new steps and cataloging and numbering all of the pieces of the stonework so that it can be put back in the exact location that it came from originally.  And so the crew is taking steps (as in taking them off of the building) to move the project forward.  Today, the better part of the work included "jack hammering" the stone from the top of the landing in front of the doors - a bit noisy.  Notice in the last photo that from the side you can now see all the way through the underside of the steps.

The north side of the mound in front of Benedictine Hall has become a "bone yard" of sorts where various pieces of stone and stacks of bricks are being stored. The next steps, soon to come, include the assembling of scaffolding from the ground all the way up to the top of the building on the front side and the moving on site of a large crane to be used in the construction process.

Rain Check

Well, the good news is that we received a little over four inches of rain this week and that certainly ought to help the levels of our local lakes and ponds.  But that also means that not much got done on the BH project. Where we stand now is that much of the east side of the main entrance stone and brick work as been removed and the brick is being cleaned so that it can be re-used.  So the demolition continues.  Depending on the weather next week, they should be able to get the rest of the front steps dismantled.

Look, Ma, No Hand(rail)

After the first few days of demolition on the front steps, the east side balustrade has been removed and all of the pieces of the stonework numbered.  Some of the stone will need to be repaired but all of it will be put back in place when the entire structure of the steps is reconstructed.  It is interesting to see the layers of materials and the method of construction that was used when BH was first built.

De-construction Zone

Now for the latest progress report - the onsite work is beginning with the dismantling of the front steps of Benedictine Hall.  The steps themselves will be replaced with new marble and the supporting brickwork and side rails, all of which has experienced some deterioration and damage over the years, will be repaired or replaced.  The whole structure will be strengthened in the course of the project and will result in a fully restored look.  Plans include the re-addition of elements that were originally there when BH was first built (possibly flower pots or lamp posts - we will see what the final result is).

On another front, so to speak, the State Historic Preservation Office is continuing its review of the plans and proposed construction materials, brick color, etc. and final approvals of all of that is expected in the next month.  That will allow the actual brickwork to begin.  Matching the color of the original bricks has been a challenge and, as of yesterday, they are going to try another test run to tone down the red.  The original brickwork appears to be more orange than red, but getting the right color mix has been tricky.

From the Casting Department

The original decorative stonework on Benedictine Hall is made of a very heavy glazed terra cotta.  Over the almost 100 years of the building's existence, the stonework has experienced some deterioration and, more recently, damage from the earthquake.  Every effort was made to save what could be saved during the demolition of the turrets, however, there is not enough of the original stuff to put back as the turrets are rebuilt.  All of the decorative elements of the turrets have been recast using lighter and more durable materials.  What has been saved from the original will be incorporated into various landscaping elements that are planned for later phases of the centennial restoration of BH.  The new stuff will give a consistent look and color to the rebuilt turrets.  Work is still going on the reproduce the color of the original brick.  Some of the newly cast grotesques and shields have been delivered to campus.  Here are some photos.

Extra Omnes!

The conclave to elect the new pope began today with the Master of Ceremonies yelling "Extra omnes" (everybody out) right before the cardinals were sealed into the Sistine Chapel.  On our construction site we have essentially done the same thing with the erection of a fence to keep people out of harm's way while the restoration project is going on.  The word is that the reconstruction project will begin with the front steps.  A demolition crew will be onsite in the coming days to remove the front entry steps to Benedictine Hall.