Montpelier Restoration Update - 12/18/2007

 

Plastering

The masons have applied the finish coat to the ceiling of M-100 and M-103. They have also troweled the scratch coat onto the walls and ceiling of M-101 and M-104

 

M-112 (Old Dining Room)

Gene Lyman continues to refine the design of the cap that runs across the top of the south wall’s wainscot and has started to install the cap atop the dado on the room’s remaining walls.

 

M-108 (Drawing Room)

Blaise Gaston has delivered the pediment that will be installed over the doorway to M-109 (South Passage).

 

M-109 (South Passage)

Mac Ward has almost finished re-installing the door frame into M-110 (South Stair).

 

M-116 (South Wing Passage)

Keith Forry continues to install the trim for the doors. Several pieces of the trim for the west side are original Madison moldings recovered from the duPont additions.

 

M-206 (Drawing Room Chamber)

Dino Copeland is preparing this room for painting.

 

M-212 (Southwest Chamber)

Bill Bichell has started to repair the upper-window sash’s central muntin. This muntin had been damaged by duPont-era, half-round window locks that gouged the molding when the lower sash was raised. To repair the damage, Bill is first using a jig to make a clean cut on either side of the gouged section. A router is then mounted onto another jig and used to remove only the damaged section of the muntin. Finally, a new section of molding is fitted into place.

 

M-002 (North Cellar Passage)

Olivier Dupont-Huin, a carpenter who recently started working at Montpelier, is reconstructing the north cellar stair. A similar stair will also be built in the south wing and these winder stairs will eventually be enclosed with wide, vertically-set boards. The original Madison-era boards, which the duPonts had cut down and re-used, were recovered during deconstruction. Paint ghosts found on the boards provided us with an incredible amount of information for designing the reconstructed stairs, including the tread, nosing and risers sizes as well as the stairs’ slope and paint colors.

 

M-003 (1797 Cellar)

Les Lamois, Mark Gooch and Thomas Tyler continue to install the floor in this space.

 

M-008 (South Cellar Passage)

The masons have finished laying the running bond pavers.

 

Colonnade

The metal decking supports have been installed. Eventually this deck will be covered with wooden boards and enclosed with a Chinese railing.