Montpelier Restoration Update - 3/26/2008

Plastering

The mason’s have applied the brown coat to the ceiling in M-108 (Drawing room). They have also troweled the scratch coat onto the ceiling in M-112 (Nelly’s Best Room) and M-111 (Nelly’s back room).

 

Doors

Dino C. continues to prepare the surviving Madison-era doors for painting. All of the loose paint is being removed from the doors and, as a result, an amazing amount of information on the Madison period hardware is being exposed. Clear evidence of different lock types, as well as knob locations, key holes and escutcheon plates, is being uncovered. Mark Wenger, the lead architect, is carefully tracing the evidence and then using the tracings to design the new door hardware.

Keith Forry also continues to repair and patch the surviving Madison-era doors.

 

Millwork

Blaise Gaston continues to mill elements for the period II cellar stair and is working on exterior doors and transoms for the wings.

 

M-109 (South Passage)

The masons are installing and re-securing the lath in this space. The new lath is reused, riven, heart pine that has been recovered from other pre-1850 houses in the region.

 

M-110 (South Stair)

Mac Ward has finished installing the railing for this stair as well as the skirt boards.

After Mac finished installing the trim, the masons installed new lath for the walls in the stair well. The next step will be to apply the plaster.

 

M-003 (1797 Cellar)

Les Lamois continues to install the horizontal, beaded heart pine sheathing in this room.

 

M-005, M-006, M-008 (1765 Cellar)

The masons have whitewashed the walls of these spaces with a thin whitewash. The thin whitewash will allow the new brickwork installed during the restoration to be visible while still providing a restored finish for the walls. The exposed ceiling framing, which features evidence of the cellar’s evolution, will not be coated with a new layer of whitewash.

 

Portico

The transoms for the north and south portico doors (the doorways flanking the central door) are being installed by Gene Lyman.

 

Colonnade Deck

Ed Gomez is installing a new threshold for the door into M-206 (Architecture Room).

 

Exterior

Mac Ward has started to install the supports for the handicap lift that will take visitors in wheel chairs from the south cellar passage up to a deck on the south wing and into M-111 (back chamber).

The masons also continue to lay the flagstones in front of the cellar passage doors.

 

M-008 (South Cellar Passage)

Olivier Dupont-Huin continues to install the treads and risers for the south cellar stair.

 

Archaeology

The archaeologists have started to excavate an area northeast of the mansion that will be the site of the new visitor bathrooms. This excavation is being undertaken primarily to mitigate the impact of the new building on any possible below-ground resources. However, prior excavations have revealed evidence of architectural rubble that is possibly associated with the c. 1809 building campaign and hopefully more will be uncovered. For more information on the Montpelier Archaeology department and their recent finds, check out their blog at http://www.montpelier.org/latest_dirt/.