Pittsford Congregational Church: $30,000.  Built in 1837 on the north end of the Green and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Congregational Church is undergoing an effort to make the building ADA compliant, rebuild the front steps, rewire the building, conserve windows and tower tracery, repair its chimneys, foundation, and roof.  The building is used by a number of community groups including the Food Shelf, VT Association of the Blind, the local Grange, Brownies, and others.  

 

 
Samuel Read Hall House, Brownington: $35,000. Built in 1831 in the Federal Style by Mr. Hall, a pioneer in the field of education (service learning), this house is now an integral part of the Old Stone House Museum and the larger Brownington Historic District, which is listed National Register of Historic Places.  The museum is owned and operated by the Orleans County Historical Society, which owns 7 buildings on 55 acres in a spectacular setting.  For many years the Samuel Read Hall House was used as a private summer residence and maintained in good condition. The Hall House will serve as an educational center offering heritage workshops and accommodating additional visitors.  Upcoming work includes installing a new roof, doing foundation repair, and installing new wiring and plumbing along with structural work.  

 
Armory Square, Windsor: $35,000.  Armory Square was the latest title and saddest incarnation of one of the most important historic examples of "workforce" housing built in Vermont.  Built in 1920-22 for the National Acme Company (NAMCO) and known as the NAMCO Block, this complex is a four story brick apartment block composed of nine attached apartment buildings originally containing 72 apartments.  The NAMCO Block has basic Colonial Revival features and is said to be the largest apartment block in the State of Vermont.  After a 1989 conversion by developers from Boston and Holyoke it unfortunately became housing of last resort for the entire region, and was utilized exclusively for very low-income families.  The combination of poor management and 100% very low income occupancy turned this once important housing resource into a blighted, dangerous area for its residents and the downtown neighbors of this project.  Housing Vermont purchased the property in September of 2007, and their redevelopment plan includes a complete renovation of the property and the re-establishment of floor plans that provide residents with a reasonable amount of living space.  The result will be housing for families with a mix of income levels.  This grant will be used for the restoration of the front fa�ade with its characteristic entryways. 

 
 
Pawlet Historical Society: $20.000.  The Pawlet Historical Society owns and operates two historic brick schoolhouses -- the North Pawlet School and Braintree School -- and has been working on repairs to them over the past nine years.  The brick Greek Revival North Pawlet School was built in 1847 and operated as a one-room grade school for 104 years, closing in 1951.  The building is now used to house the society's collection and archives and for administrative purposes. The Braintree School, another brick Greek Revival Structure built in 1852, operated as a one-room grade school for 82 years, closing in 1934.  Later modifications for larger window openings were made to coincide with State regulations for healthy schools.  In 1975 a group of volunteers began to restore the building and open it to the public.  Since 1976 teachers from area schools have brought their classes to the school three or four times a year to participate in re-enactment of a typical mid-nineteenth century school day.  Recently, the historical society sponsored and produced a community event called "Pawlet Olden Days" with the Braintree School and its grounds at the center of much of the day's activities.  Classes in the school and tours of the school take place throughout the day; approximately 300 people attend the event each year.  This grant will help them install curtain drains at both buildings, point and repair the foundations and fa�ades, repair the slate roofs replacing ridge caps and copper valleys, repair plaster and floor framing, and install custom wooden storm windows.  

 

 
Adamant Cooperative and Community Club: $50,000.  The volunteer-managed village store and the Community Club are the essence of the village of Adamant.  The community first developed when granite quarries opened in 1880 bringing workers from Scotland and Canada.  Founded in 1935, the village store is the state's oldest cooperative.  The building houses an art center, post office, store, a space for kids, and is the daily community gathering place.  In 1962 the Town turned the former school over to the Adamant Community Club, and it is now used as a center for adult and children's classes, community meetings, and social events including an outdoor theater. The grant will help with work on both buildings including woodwork and window repair, electrical and plumbing upgrades, chimney re-pointing, painting, roof work, and moisture control.  

 

 
New Hope Church, Waits River: $25,000.  Built in 1854, this Greek Revival style church anchors the village of Waits River and has become one of the most photographed churches in Vermont.  Pictures of this building nestled among barns and houses with a narrow road leading up to its front steps have adorned the cover of Vermont Life, hundreds of calendars, recent book covers by Howard Frank Mosher, and been in television ads depicting rural Vermont.  This grant will allow them to complete steeple repairs, sill and exterior woodwork repairs, and paint the roof and exterior of the building.

 

Stannard Historical Society: $7,000.  Organized in 1983 to acquire and save a redundant Methodist Church and convert it to a community center, the Stannard Historical Society is facing a structural problem and needs to to jack-up the chimney, repair its footing, cap the chimney, repair the ridge cap and repair interior plaster damaged by the chimney.  This grant will allow them to complete the repairs.

 
Old North Church, North Danville: $30,000.

Constructed in 1832 as the Union Meeting House, the Old North Church is remarkably intact with no central heat and lit by a chandelier that holds 14 kerosene lamps.  The building is used for candlelit services in the summer, weddings, funerals, and the Danville High School Baccalaureate.  In 2009, the historical society that maintains the building will host the Memorial Service for the National Judges conference to be held in St. Johnsbury.  This grant, along with additional funds raised, will enable the community to conserve all windows, replace deteriorated clapboards on the south facade, reinstate three windows covered over on the rear fa�ade, paint the exterior, and begin interior plaster and finishes repair.  

 

 
St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Newport: $40,000.  Built in 1903-04 and dedicated in 1909, this monumental Romanesque stone church was constructed on the highest point in Newport looking out on Lake Memphremagog.  This grant will help the congregation compete exterior work on major capital improvements, including repairing the front steps and railing, rebuilding a side entrance, and re-roofing the rear chapel section of the church.  Once completed, the congregation will continue to fundraise for interior plaster repairs and restoration of exquisite trompe-l'oeil painting.  

 

 
Catamount Arts, St. Johnsbury: $50,000.  When it opened in 1912, the Masonic Temple of St. Johnsbury was the largest and grandest Masonic building in Vermont with more than 700 members.  Today, it is remarkably intact, a highly visible landmark on Eastern Avenue in the St. Johnsbury Historic District.  In 2006, in an extraordinarily generous gesture that was intended to benefit the entire community, the Masons gave their building to Catamount Arts in return for a no-cost lease in perpetuity of the top floor.  Construction is underway to adapt the lower two floors into a Community Arts Center with two film theaters, two classrooms, performance space, and galleries.  The St. Johnsbury Academy building trade students restored all of the interior woodwork, milling new trim to match the original as needed.  In addition, their master teacher is serving as the Project Manager.  This grant will help support the project.

 

 
Orleans County Fairgrounds, Barton: $60,000.  The existing grandstand and racetrack were built when the Fair began in 1867.  This grant will help with repairs to the grandstand and structural repairs to the two most significant barns on the property.   
 

 

Every summer, the Preservation Trust of Vermont hosts a series of 2-day retreats at the Grand Isle Lake House.  Lake House Retreats are for groups who are undertaking historic preservation or community development projects.  The Lake House is the perfect venue for sharing ideas and challenges, funding opportunities, and technical assistance resources.  There are two retreats left this year:

 
Community Supported Enterprises on the Web The Preservation Trust has created a new, inspiring web resource highlighting clever community supported projects throughout Vermont.  Something akin to Community Supported Agriculture, projects such as the Bobcat Cafe in Bristol and Claire's Restaurant in Hardwick owe their success thanks to significant community investment.  Click here to read more about Community Supported Enterprises.  

  

 
 

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is now accepting nominations for its list of 2009 Dozen Distinctive Destinations�. Since 2000, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has annually selected communities across the United States that offer cultural and recreational experiences different from the typical vacation destination.  From dynamic downtowns and stunning architecture to cultural diversity and commitments to historic preservation, the selected destinations boast a richness of character and exude an authentic sense of place. To date, there are 108 Distinctive Destinations located in 42 states throughout the country.  Deadline for applications is August 29th.  Click here to read more.

 

 
 

Grants to improve facilities used for providing cultural events and activities for the public.  Includes wiring, heating, lighting, stage work, bathrooms and accessibility improvements.  Read on...

  

Vermont State Historic Preservation Grants

50/50 matching grants for the repair and restoration of historic buildings that are used by the public such as town halls, churches, grange halls, museums, etc.  Read on...

 

50/50 mathcing grants for the repair and restoration of historic agricultural buildings listed on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.  Read on...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q&A 42 , Wood Clapboard & Concrete Stair Repairs
Copyright 2007 John Leeke
 
 
Question:
I've removed aluminum siding on a house and am going back to the original painted clapboards. We're removing the siding from the gables to use for repairs, then redoing the gables in shakes. Many of the clapboards we've removed have cracks on the back side.  Some cracks are new (I know what caused this, and we've changed our method of removal) and some are old cracks.  Is there a thin glue, or method of thinning glue, that would make these cracked boards useable? Also, is it best to somehow introduce moisture into these before reattaching them, so they're not prone to crack (or maybe just predrill the holes). Thanks. - Tim S., Indiana
 
Answer:
Here are two methods to repair splits and cracks in clapboards.
 
Where the splits can be opened up a little, clean any debris, old paint, caulk and dust out of the gap. Use a thin artist's pallet knife to work a Type-1 exterior waterproof wood adhesive into the gap. A foaming polyurethane adhesive such as Gorilla Glue would be good. Then lay the clapboard on a flat board covered with 6-mil poly sheeting. The poly will keep the adhesive from sticking to the board. Finally, weight down the clapboard to align the wood on both sides of the gap and wedge the clapboard to close the gap.
 
Wood-epoxy repair materials can be used effectively on bigger splits as well as cracked wood when there is no gap. The epoxy consolidant or primer will penetrate into the gap and tend to act as an adhesive. Apply the epoxy material 2 or 3 time during an hour or two. As the first applications soak into the sides of the crack and begin to harden, the later applications will fill in the slight space, boding the sides together.
 
For more on using epoxies, see the Practical Restoration Report, Wood-Epoxy Repairs:
 
http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/reports/reports.htm#Wood-Epoxy%20Repairs

Also, see this video at my website:
 
Exterior Wood 1, Field Report 5,
http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/video/rftf.htm

It shows repairing a split clapboard still on the wall, but the method would be good for removed clapboards working flat on a bench or board.
 
Pre-drilling, or using a brad-awl for nails is standard practice when re-installing old woodwork. Select a twist bit that is just slightly smaller in diameter than the shank of the nails.
 
Question:
I have some cracking and chipping damage on my front concrete steps probably due to wear & tear and rock salt. The previous owner obviously skim coated the top of a few of the steps and that's what is chipping away. I'd like to put some slate treads on top and repair the risers with concrete or brick if it's not too thick.
 
I have a few questions:
1. What is the best thickness of slate when using it for steps?
2. Does anyone have suggestions as to which product would be best to use when laying in the slate?
3. What is the best (longest lasting) product to use for fixing the non-slated areas?
 
Answer:
Covering the treads with slate may not be the best approach. According to Joe Farrell, restoration contractor in Fayville, MA, slate and bluestone may not hold up well to water freezing and salt that causes flaking and deterioration. Also, the thickness of the slate will make the rise of the top and bottom steps different than the rest, which may cause people to stumble. It's always best to keep keeping the rise of east step consistent along the entire stairway.
 
Since your deterioration is highly localized in a few spots consider treating just those spots with  filler. This patch and repair approach can be done effectively with epoxy materials designed especially for this purpose. One company is Abatron, which makes several products for concrete repair including, AboWeld and AboCure.
You can mix these two-part epoxy resins and apply them to cracks. Mix it with clean dry sand to fill in voids. For an even appearance you can coat the entire surface of the stairway with the epoxy, then sprinkle on dry sand. After the epoxy has cured sweep off the excess sand.
 
Get advice from the manufacturer on how to use these materials and practice on some junk concrete before working on your stairway.
 
www.Abatron.com
262 653-2000
http://www.abatron.com/home005.htm

ORDERS: 800 445-1754
 

Are you thinking about dealing with your wood windows in anticipation of high fuel costs this winter?  If so, you may want to read about Greening Your Historic Windows.  Read more... 

 

Additionally, a tip sheet from the National Trust is now available on the importance and how-to's of retaining and repairing your wood windows.  Download the free pdf... 

 

 

A publication that guides barn owners in the adaptation of historic barns for sustainable agriculture practices.

 

Twain, Wharton homes join others in financial peril
By STEPHANIE REITZ - HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Mark Twain, Edith Wharton and other boldfaced names among the dead have something in common with living Americans in these hard financial times: Their homes are in jeopardy. For scores of historic house museums, simply keeping the lights on has become a challenge...Read full story...

 

 

Douglas assesses town fire damage
Rutland Herald - Rutland,VT,USA
Engineers hired by both the Wisch family and the Preservation Trust of Vermont say the building can be saved. The building is in the town's historic ... Read full story...