Archive for the ‘Kirk’ Category
New York Preservation Through the Eyes of Ghostbusters
Scouting New York recently began a series of posts where street and city shots from New York City-based movies are compared to those same locations today. As the author says, “this is a full shot-by-shot dissection to see what New York once was and what it has become, for better or worse.”
The first installment looks at Ghostbusters and how the city has changed in the 25 years since its filming. The two-part post (part 1, part 2) is thorough, to say the least.
This is a pretty neat way to show just how much impact conservation and preservation make in a city.
For example, that wee “Matera Canvas” advertisement in the bottom left of each photo is for a now-defunct business that began in 1907. Someone decided to keep that up there (they went out of business sometime around 1990) and, in doing so, preserved a bit of New York history. The little things count, people!
There are a lot of movies filmed in New York out there, but my fingers are crossed that Scouting New York does Oliver & Company next!
Categories: Ghosts!, Historic Preservation, Kirk |
Wren’s Nest Conservation Project – New Brick Path and Secret Tunnel Part 2
The new brick pathway at the Wren’s Nest is finished, complete with a secret tunnel to divert water from the house.
Remember what it looked like before? Not bad, huh.
Two gutters connect underground and divert water away from the house. By moving the water a few feet from the house we will preserve the structure much more effectively.
Behold — the tunnel’s inner-workings:
Our brick folks did a great job of matching the “new” brick to the old path. They used the brick that’d just been sitting in our yard like so many foundlings.
Here’s what the foundling brick looked like in its natural habitat.
Now you can’t even tell the difference in bricks between our other path and this newbie.
Good job, bricks. I can’t wait to walk all over you.
Categories: 2008 - 2009 Wren's Nest Conservation Project, Historic Preservation, Kirk | Tags: Historic Preservation, Masonry,
Wren’s Nest Conservation Project — New Brick Path and Secret Tunnel
A garden of loose rubble has traditionally comprised the entry to our basement. It is delightfully dangerous.
Too bad it’s a problem. The rubble limits accessibility and begs for twisted ankles whilst wide-eyed volunteers carry heavy things across the threshold. So that they may better do my bidding, we’re extending our brick path to the basement entry.
It’ll meet the old brick path and basement entry at grade. And it will encourage the use of wheelbarrows. Everyone likes wheelbarrows.
Note how this gentleman is hacking away at a little crevice. That’s for the secret tunnel. You know, the secret tunnel where we divert rain water from the roof away from the house.
We’ll use sweet, sweet PVC pipe underground like so:
Thus the secret tunnel will prevent moisture from wreaking havoc upon the house and better preserve the painted brick. PVC, I would be lost without you.
Categories: 2008 - 2009 Wren's Nest Conservation Project, Kirk |
How To Repoint Masonry In Your Historic Home In 6 Steps
Now that you’re good and ready, it’s time to repoint your masonry. No, no — get your head out of the gutter.
Now, let the Wren’s Nest show you how through our six step guide, How To Repoint Masonry In Your Historic Home. Ready?
1. Always Listen To Mary Catherine Or Another Architect Who Knows About Preservation
But seriously, we recommend Mary Catherine. She geeks out like whoa when it comes to brick.
Did you know that there are limestone mortars in 15th Century French chateaus that still have not set? I do now.
2. Hammer Out The Old Mortar
You’re bound to have at least some mortar left between the bricks. Hammer it out carefully with a chisel. Watch them fingers.
3. Brush Out Loose Mortar
Leave a clean surface. I don’t want you to have to do this all over again.
4. Soak The Brick With Water
A sponge or a sprayer will do the trick. The older the brick, the more porous it is, so watch the brick soak it all up. You can’t apply too much water. Just let it sit for a while after soaking.
5. Slide The Mortar In
This trowel is slightly too big. It’s not the end of the world.
6. Repeat
Looks like fun, huh?
Make sure you get have the right mortar mix for the right kind of brick. We have two different mortar mixtures — one for the brick and one for the stone. I trust you to know the difference.
Preparing to Repoint the Masonry in Your Historic Home in 6 Steps
I know you’re itching to repoint the mortar underneath your house. Let’s face it, your bricks and mortar probably look like this:
See that nothing in between the bricks? You’re gonna have to put some mortar in there.
Luckily for you the Wren’s Nest has compiled a guide to help you out, called Preparing to Repoint the Masonry in Your Historic Home. In just six easy steps, you’ll be ready to repoint your masonry.
1. Admit That You Have A Problem
Did you not see the picture above? Clearly, you have a problem.
2. Enlist The British To Complete A Very Expensive Mortar Test
The harder to understand, the better.
3. Assemble Awesome Masonry Materials
If you have bricks that have been dropped off for unknown reasons and have presumably been forgotten about by a municipal agency, place the awesome masonry materials on top of them. If not, I don’t know what to tell you.
4. Gather Your River Silt
You can buy river silt. You don’t have to dredge it up yourself. Do not let me stop you from doing so, however.
4. Remember: You Need Georgia Red Clay. Make Sure Someone Supervises
The more supervisors, the better. In the city you’ll probably only have to dig four or so inches. At the Wren’s Nest you may have to dig 18 inches for whatever reason.
5. Mix Your Mortar By The Book / With The Bottom Of A Burger King Cup
Vests are optional but endorsed by the Wren’s Nest staff and sub-contractors.
6. Make Little Piles
A dusty ole wheelbarrow is perfect for making little piles of mortar.
Now you’re ready. Next up in this series: How to Repoint Masonry in Your Historic Home.
Wren’s Nest Conservation Update — Basement Door
The old basement door to the Wren’s Nest is a lot like my pants often are — full of holes and a little short.
The door was missing about eight inches in some places. Critters of all sizes could come and go as they pleased.
Our carpenter made us a real, live, working door with hinges and everything. It even goes down to the bottom! It’s like a fairytale.
We’ll have more updates about this entryway in the future — specifically, the part where we clean up the rubble that threatens to twist ankles left and right. For now, I’m super-satisfied with the door.
Categories: 2008 - 2009 Wren's Nest Conservation Project, Amazing Britches, Historic Preservation, Kirk |
Wren’s Nest Conservation Update — Reinforcing Structural Beams
One of the scarier sites in the Wren’s Nest basement is that of the wooden beams that seemingly hold the house up on their own. The beams are pressure-treated, but they rest on the ground with nothing underneath.
These in particular were originally installed many years ago to prevent the hallway from bouncing when groups of children rumbled through the Wren’s Nest.
While it’s nice that the children are no longer scared to walk through the house, other beams are more structurally significant, so we gave them a solid footing.
Eh, four out of five ain’t bad.
There are several more, as modeled by our only-sometimes-helpful and occasional part-time urchin, Imani.
She’s, like, 41 inches tall for those of you updating your scaled replicas of the Wren’s Nest at home.
Categories: 2008 - 2009 Wren's Nest Conservation Project, Historic Preservation, Kirk, Technological Advances |
Things We Missed During Our Brief Blogging Hiatus
Hi folks. Apologies to all one of you who have been waiting with baited breath for our return.
Here are a few items we would have mentioned, in depth, in a timely manner, had we been here. Instead, let’s glance, late!
1. The Grant Mansion in nearby Grant Park is undergoing a much-needed restoration.
The pre-Civil War mansion (where Bobby Jones was born and the home of the Atlanta Preservation Center) is being restored …slowly. Artifacts still need to be identified, and the architects are struggling to be true to original building plans, and on and on. We feel you.
I especially like the note about the craftsmanship evident in these old homes, the levels of which are pretty much unseen today. There's something to be said for a century old home that suffered years of negligence and is still standing *cough cough*.
2. The Atlanta Cyclorama needs some attention too.
How much, Bo Emerson writes, is up for contention. Ignore me for a few minutes and read the article about a gigantic painting's upkeep. Somehow, it's riveting. Go on--I'll wait.
Now that you've read it, you should know this: I love the Cyclorama. Seriously, it is the craziest and most bizarre relic in town, and you should go see it right now. I'll wait again.
See?! Awesome. If it induces vertigo, it's a success.
The article also touches on an issue we experience ourselves--what to do about ill-advised additions over the years. When historical accuracy is the goal, there's no such thing as a good addition, and the best 1980 has to offer is often 2008's problem. Tricky!
3. Remember the Crum and Forster building?
The Georgia Historic Trust's "Places in Peril" list did, much like they remembered the Wren's Nest in 2007. This is good news for historic preservation enthusiasts like us, and for Atlanta overall.
Preserving history > parking lot.
Anything else we missed? Let me know.
Categories: Atlanta, Cyclorama, Grant Mansion, Historic Preservation, Kirk |
Basement Excavation Yields Interesting and Mildly Horrifying Results
As we’ve mentioned many times previously (1,2), the Wren’s Nest basement is a wonderland of mystery.
Sure, there are useful things down there, even historic things. Problem is, it is mighty hard to find and identify these worthwhile items among the mountains and valleys of garbage and treachery.
So we decided to get ‘em out of there.
Our unwanted items will be seeking temporary residence in this POD, the likes of which I am noticing everywhere now that I know they exist. I love it when that happens.
Anyhow, with our Board Chair Marshall at the helm and several community service workers doing the dirty (well, dusty) work, we have managed to open up gateways to parts of the basement previously unreachable.
Clearing out all the junk revealed a filled-in fireplace. Neat.
But, if I know anything about our basement–and I think I do–this fireplace probably leads to unseen realms or something terrifying like that. Nannie doesn’t refuse to go down there for nothing.
Speaking of terrifying, all of this de-cluttering has really shined a light on our DIY foundations.
This legitimately may be holding me up right now. We’re about to enact a museum-wide No Jumping rule.
Here’s the bottom. Notice the brick-thingy-as-anchor. I feel so safe right now.
This is just the tip of the iceberg; the potential for unfathomable depths of garbage is very, very high.
We’ll be sure to keep you up to date on our findings.
Categories: Cruel Games, Kirk, Really? |
Wren’s Nest Restoration Update
One of the most challenging aspects of this job is figuring out how to fix up a (benignly) neglected house on the National Historic Register.
As far as I can tell, there are two steps:
- Raise enough money to do what you want (check, almost).
- Surround yourself with folks who are smarter than you.
And while #2 will guarantee that from time to time those people will look at you like you’re an idiot, it’s worth it.
Yesterday we were lucky enough to have Tom and Gene from Surber, Barber, Choate and Hertlein take a look at our place …again.
Our basement is a labyrinth of different foundations, each with different bricks, mortars, paints, and states of (dis)repair.
The architects reviewed each aspect of our little restoration with a contractor to confirm the estimates outlined in our budget, which was initially performed by a professional cost estimator.
It’s a good thing, too. Just when you think you’ve got a budget in place, you uncover some new stuff.
On the eastern (and less traversed) side of the Wren’s Nest, the paint isn’t in good shape. But it’s in better shape on either side of each window. See how it’s a little brighter on either side?
That means that there were once shutters there.
…which we found in an obscure portion of the basement, not having noticed them before.
So, now, my job is to look in our restoration notebooks to figure out (a) if these shutters were original, (b) why they aren’t on the house anymore, and (c) would it be worth it to restore ‘em and put ‘em back on the house.
And it’s always encouraging to discover how the duct work was put in in exactly the wrong spot.
See how, just above the N in Nest, the wood was cut to make way for that duct? Apparently that’s bad news.
The moral is, we’ve got a lot on our plate. Little things, big(ger) things, things that I have trouble remembering. Unfortunately, none of them seem to be fixable by throwing wads of singles in their general direction.
Next up: a meeting with a contractor, a mechanical engineer, and an historic brick expert. Wahoo!