An architectural historian traveled up, down and around the exterior of the Athenaeum by way of a boom lift on Tuesday for a closer look at the condition of the 154-year-old iconic structure.
Eric Gradoia, with MCWB Architects, stood on the lift platform with Brian Aldrich, from Rodd Roofing, who worked the controls. Aldrich was tasked with putting Gradoia in a position to examine the building and identify problems requiring repair.
MCWB Architects, based in Albany, N.Y., is familiar with the Athenaeum. It led major renovation and restoration efforts in the building housing the library and art gallery in 2003. Part of that $1.2 million project were efforts on the second floor that included the removal of a suspended tile ceiling and a return to the exposed original ceiling. The work also included updated heating, electrical, sprinkler and security systems, an elevator and a new children’s library room.
In a story that appeared in The Caledonian-Record at the time, architects Jeff Baker and Jim Cohen likened the discovery of the original second-story ceiling to the finding of King Tut’s tomb.
The efforts of the architectural company, 22 years later, are to identify areas on the outside that need work and to help formulate a plan to address the needs.
Gradoia seems well-suited to identify trouble spots and the care needed to preserve the Athenaeum that Gov. Horace Fairbanks built and dedicated to the town in 1871.
His professional biography found on the website for MCBW Architects notes his “expertise in 17th, 18th, and 19th century domestic architecture.” He once served as Director of Historic Preservation at Historic Deerfield, in Massachusetts. In that capacity, he was responsible for the repair and restoration of the museum’s 55 buildings.
Athenaeum leaders felt it necessary to re-engage with MCWB Architects to make sure the need for reparations is identified and addressed, said Athenaeum trustee and treasurer Fred Saar, and because they have themselves discovered some decay.
In recent months, they had a drone pilot navigate a drone around the building, and the camera images showed some things that appeared concerning, Saar said.
“We could see what we thought were issues,” he said.
Hiring MCWB Architects means getting a thorough and professional understanding of the building needs before trying to act on them, said Saar.
“It takes a lot of the guesswork out of it,” he said.
Saar, who serves as chair of the Athenaeum’s building committee, said wood rot has been found in places. “There are places where more water gets to than we would like,” he said.
Other building projects to be addressed are an effort to introduce air conditioning to the second floor and better lighting for the children’s room murals, Saar said.
