Many of you have at least heard of the new series on PBS, Mercy Street. If takes place during the Civil War in Alexandria, and uses real events and real places to tell the story of how the war effected people on both sides, living and working in Alexandria during those years.
Did you know that last fall, we worked on the actual building that used to be the Mansion House Hotel? We restored the windows and exterior trim to keep it in top shape for years to come. The building is on the National Register of historic Places, as the Bank of Alexandria.
The image below, from Visit Alexandria, shows the evolution of the property, adjacent to the Carlyle house.
Image Credit: S. Stanton for Visit Alexandria
That 3 story building on the corner is the Bank of Alexandria building. Watch our interview with Rich Winkler as he talks about the special care needs to be given to the maintenance and repair of the building, to ensure that the historical integrity remains intact.
For more about the real local history that surrounds the PBS series Mercy Street, the Greene Family and the Carlyle House, as well as links to other Alexandria resources, read this article from Visit Alexandria: The Real Mansion House From PBS’ Mercy Street
This is the historic train depot in Sykesville, Md. The building now houses a restaurant, but that doesn’t diminish the stature of this grand Victorian architecture on the National Register of Historical Places.
If you saw our previous posts on the historic Sykesville Train Depot, you learned a bit about the level of detail and care we have to take when working on a building of this type. (If you didn’t see them, click here for the interior, and click here for the doors and windows, and click here for the platform eaves and overhangs, click here for the gables and roofline.) This time, we are focusing on the main entrance.
Since the entryway is where first impressions are made, as in every other aspect of this building, we took pains to make sure it was well taken care up. From the tips of the eaves to the peak of the gable, from post to beam, and everything in between, we made sure that it will last for years to come.
The time and effort it takes to restore these beautiful buildings is always worth it in the end, because they will last in all their glory for years to come.
This is the historic train depot in Sykesville, Md. The building now houses a restaurant, but that doesn’t diminish the stature of this grand Victorian architecture on the National Register of Historical Places.
If you saw our previous posts on the historic Sykesville Train Depot, you learned a bit about the level of detail and care we have to take when working on a building of this type. (If you didn’t see them, click here for the interior, and click here for the doors and windows, and click here for the platform eaves and overhangs.) This time, we are focusing on the gable ends and roof-line trim.
As in any painting project, the preparation is always the most tedious. It is also the most important. Scraping and stripping of the old and loose paint will make or break the lasting impact of your new paint job. With these highly decorated gable ends, with the extensive amounts of wood trim, that is doubly and triply so. Before putting on that first coat of primer, we check to be certain that it is all sturdy, and intact. we replace any rotting wood, and fix any damage we find. This first level gable end was in good shape, and ready for priming after the old paint was removed. What a difference with the final result!
The higher up on a structure, the more weathering and damage wood is exposed to. Higher elevations get stronger winds, more debris thrown from these wings, more sun exposure, and more rain exposure. All of that adds up to very weathered wood. With this upper gable end, after stripping the old paint we replaced the caulking along the seams. This helps ensure that it is sealed from water that could seep in from driving rain and snow melt, that could harm the building from leaks and water damage.
Even this attic vent on the gable had a lot of detail in the wood slats. As you can see, it looks beautiful in all of it’s detail with the new paint.
Ladders, ladders, ladders.
The time up on a ladder is necessary to make sure that all of the touch-ups are done, and paint isn’t just slapped on. Our painters go over every inch with a trained eye, making sure it is sealed and coated to perfection.
The finished gable and trim is a beautiful site!
Check back tomorrow for our 5th installment in this series, the Main Entrance.
This is the historic train depot in Sykesville, Md. The building now houses a restaurant, but that doesn’t diminish the stature of this grand Victorian architecture on the National Register of Historical Places.
If you saw our previous posts on the historic Sykesville Train Depot, you learned a bit about the detail we have to take with this building. (If you didn’t see it, click here for the interior, and click here for the doors and windows.) This time, we are taking a look at some of the lower exterior areas: the eaves and overhangs along the platforms.
As we saw on the inside, there are a lot of moldings and trim. As was common in Victorian architecture, there is a LOT of trim, with a lot of detail. Especially on the outside. Trim needs special attention, to keep the profiles sharp. Letting the paint coat the grooves diminishes the craftsmanship and beauty of the woodwork. Often, we need to strip away the caked, peeling, and chilling paint, down to bare wood, to give a good coat of paint and preserve the woodwork.
That’s not just any old lattice-work on those overhangs, it’s spindles. Each of those pieces was created by turning a piece of wood, in much the same fashion as a table leg or a spindle on a railing. These are then pieced together to create the frame that sets into the eave. This also served a functional purpose, to discourage birds from flying through.
When it comes to the eaves, there is trim along the edges, but the supports are also heavily carved with ridges and grooves. There was not a post left unadorned with a handsome profile.
Looking up into the eaves themselves, you can see that even the rafter ends were cut decoratively. A gentle curve to the ends added a bit of charm, and the notched design to the inter-lying ends adds a bit of interest.
Check back tomorrow for our 4th installment in this series, Up in the Rafters: Gable Ends and Roof-Line Trim
This is the historic train depot in Sykesville, Md. The building now houses a restaurant, but that doesn’t diminish the stature of this grand Victorian architecture on the National Register of Historical Places.
If you saw our previous post on the historic Sykesville Train Depot, you took a peek at the interior. (If you didn’t see it, click here) This time, we are taking a look at some of the lower exterior areas: the doors on the loading docks and platforms, and the exterior windows.
As we saw on the inside, you can see that there are a lot of moldings and trim. That always needs special attention, to keep the profiles sharp. Letting the paint coat the grooves diminishes the craftsmanship and beauty of the woodwork. Often, we need to strip away the caked, peeling, and chilling paint, down to bare wood, to give a good coat of paint and preserve the woodwork.
I’m sure that in it’s day, these freight doors on the loading dock saw more than their fair share of bumps, dings, bangs and damage.
The stability of those Victorian window sashes to hold that beautiful stained glass is very important. Not only does the old caulking and glazing need to be carefully removed, and the wood checked for damage and rot, the pins holding the panes against the frame need to be checked, and then new glazing applied and cured, before any new paint can be coated onto the frames and trim.
Tomorrow, we’ll post about the detail work on the eaves and overhangs of the platforms.
As you sit at home, contemplating what you are going to do while snowbound for the next few days, We are showing you some great eye-candy to stimulate your senses. This is the historic train depot in Sykesville, Md. The building now houses a restaurant, but that doesn’t diminish the stature of this grand Victorian architecture on the National Register of Historical Places.
First up on this tour is the interior shots. You can see that there is a lot of moldings and trim. That always needs special attention, to keep the profiles sharp. Letting the paint coat the grooves diminishes the craftsmanship and beauty of the woodwork.
The plaster-work and stencil designs around the main dining room took a lot of time and patience for the original painters to do, and that work was replicated when the restaurant did their renovations.
What really is stunning is the original Victorian stained glass designs in the transoms and upper sashes of the double hung windows. This glass is a bit more fragile than what you would find in modern reproduction work, and so it takes a steady hand and careful attention, to make sure that there are no accidental chips, cracks or breakages to the window jewels.
