Stone Building Historic Structure Report 2009 MTS

Browse Search

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT Methodology The Stone Building LEXINGTON, MA This plan represents a collaborative effort between Menders, Torrey & Spencer, Inc. (MTS) and the Town of Lexington, MA. Working meetings facilitated by MTS were held with Patrick Goddard and Mark Barret of the Lexington Public Facilities Department; Carl Oldenburg, Richard Perry, Sally Zimmerman and Sara Chase of the Sub - Committee of the Permanent Building Committee; and other stakeholders at the Stone Building on several occasions to observe progress. An interim report was presented by Lynne Spencer and Patrick Guthrie to the Permanent Building Committee on August 11, 2009. The final presentation occurred on September 29, 2009. The project team was assembled and coordinated by Lynne Spencer, partner and preservation principal at Menders, Torrey & Spencer, Inc. Patrick Guthrie, project manager for MTS, directed on -site investigations and orchestrated the investigation. Anne Grady, Architectural Historian prepared the narrative history, context research and wrote the chronology of documented changes. Research on the Stone Building included an examination of documents and published sources in various repositories, consultation with experts on East Lexington and the Lyceum Movement and oral history. These methods were intended to complement the physical investigation of the building and provide a context for construction and changes to use of the building. William Finch of Finch & Rose, historic preservation consultants made repeated visits to the site to collect physical samples. The primary goal was to characterize the various color treatments of the building throughout its evolution. A secondary goal was identifying significant changes to the exterior revealed by the paint and related historic photographs. Exterior paint samples from clapboards were obtained following the removal of limited areas of aluminum siding. Samples were examined under both visible and UV light under a microscope. Greg Nowak of Structures North Consulting Engineers and his team conducted the structural engineering assessments of the building, commented on existing condition and prepared a report explaining the reinforcing required to bring the structure to compliance with building code requirements. Peter Timothy of A.M. Fogarty prepared the cost estimates for renovation based on outline plans and specifications developed by Patrick and Lynne from MTS. The MTS prepared the conditions assessment, chronicle of immediate, preservation and restoration and renovation requirements. The team also wrote the cyclical maintenance plan and synthesized the reports of consultants. When not incorporated into the body of the report, consultant reports are included in their entirety in the appendices to this report. The final report is issued both as a printed document and in electronic format as a portable document format (.pdf). Ten copies were delivered along with the compact disc. Menders, Torrey & Spencer, Inc. ix 2009