Work progresses at the 1835 Town Hall with the construction of the elevator shaft. However, repairs to the roof structure have temporarily halted.
In late July, the 1835 Town Hall Committee learned that the structural connection between the 1835 building and the1893 addition were unsound. The supporting structure has shifted over time and the engineers were seriously concerned with the integrity of the structure. This was discovered when the cover panels were removed from the existing collar ties and some of the sheet rock was removed at the junction of the two sections opening up the purlins junction to collar ties. Our architect/designer met with the engineers overseeing the structural rehabilitation of the building and over the past month have provided the committee with seven different options to reinforce the structure at or near the junction of the original 1835 Town Hall and the sections added in 1893. Some of these plans involved a steel I-beam truss structure with steel pillars installed through the floors to the foundation. These plans were dismissed by both our architect and the committee as being too costly and intrusive. Other plans involved LVL beams and ties added near the junction of the two sections, and yet another opted for the complete removal of the entire roof structure and replacement with new scissor trusses.
At a committee meeting on August 29 that included our architect/designer, we discussed the details of the seven options, plus an eighth plan introduced for the first time at that meeting. Earlier that day, the architect and engineer discussed a hybrid of the first and sixth designs, using LVL structural components and a new steel rod spanning the width of the building. Costs for these designs have not been determined, and as such, the merits of the plans cannot be fully assessed. However, to get costs, we need accurate and detailed designs. The committee toiled over the potential design costs versus our budget. While we have just over $14,000 for this project, a portion of which could be expended for further design, the committee wasn’t prepared to proceed without knowing the costs involved. The architect/designer was instructed to provide the committee with these costs as quickly as possible.
These issues are not evaluated solely on economic considerations. The historic character and integrity of the repairs must also be considered. Our guidelines are to preserve whenever feasible. Destruction of historic elements is prohibitive.
The added structural requirements will require additional funding. Fortunately, the committee has secured a $100,000 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, which could be used to cover additional costs associated with the structural repairs needed, but with the following caveat: the committee must file a project design and budget with the Massachusetts Historical Commission for approval before funds will be released. As such, the remedies to the structure will need to conform with MHC requirements for historical preservation. Fortunately, our architect/designer will work closely with the committee and the MHC to ensure that the remedies we select will be approved. The project completion originally scheduled for October 31will likely be delayed to January 2019, barring further complications.