Pittsboro Courthouse Restoration update 5.04.12
May 4, 2012
Progress might not be apparent from the traffic circle but much is happening inside the exterior walls of the courthouse. All of the masonry modifications have been completed and the steel framing and decking for the second floor has been installed. The concrete slab for the second floor was placed this week and will provide a platform for work on the second floor. Furthermore, interior wall framing has begun on the first floor and will be completed within two weeks.
Beginning in May, the temporary roof will be removed and the new steel roof structure will be constructed. The roofing work must progress in stages in order to maintain a dry interior and to keep the building stable at all times. An crane will soon be set up soon on the south side of the building for roof truss erection.
Along with the steel roof structure, the beams over the north portico will have to be removed. This will require the contractor to carefully brace off the four original exterior columns until the new steel beams are installed, the columns are anchored, and the cupola frame is set. It should be a remarkable sight when the cupola frame is lifted into place, finally restoring the original scale of the building and clock tower.
Before construction started the portico columns were tested for strength by performing pull out tests on anchors that were set into the shaft of each column. Concrete was something of a surprise since a brick core was anticipated. The process apparently involved casting a small square column as a core for the larger column. When the square core was complete layers of concrete were added to fill out the round form. Column flutes were formed with specialized forms and tools similar to what plasterers use to create ornamental interior features such as pilasters, cornices, and moldings. Test results established that the columns are strong and adequate to be retained in the structure. To have reproduced the columns would have been difficult and costly. By June the new roof structure should be in place and the Court House will begin to resemble its appearance prior to the fire over two years ago.
Taylor was interviewed in this WRAL report on the courthouse restoration: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/11029379/
News 14 Carolina coverage of the Pittsboro Courthouse reconstruction
April 8, 2012
PITTSBORO — This weekend marks the two-year anniversary since a fire destroyed the Chatham County Courthouse.
The county is working toward re-opening the courthouse doors by the end of the year. Locals say the building represented a piece of the county’s history. The total cost of reconstruction will average $6 million.
Officials say a construction worker accidentally sparked the fire with a soldering iron in 2010.
“Some of the wood in there was very old and very dry and that started the fire,” said Chatham County Commission Chair Brian Bock.
The courthouse was undergoing a major renovation at the the time. Now, a major reconstruction is under way.
“Part of the job has been to get the rest of the wood out. The commissioners decided to rebuild it with a steel infrastructure,” said architect Taylor Hobbs.
Located in the center of Pittsboro, the courthouse is a major landmark to the community. The building has been a part of Chatham County for more than 130 years.
“The courthouse represents a lot of history for the county. It’s more than just a building and you can see that in people’s emotions as they stood around and watched the clean up,” said Bock.
“The day after the fire people put flowers outside of the construction fence which you don’t usually see for a building. I think it speaks to what this building means. Not only to the downtown area, but what it means to Pittsboro and Chatham County at large,” said Hobbs.
The courthouse was also home to the Chatham Historical Museum. Several of the artifacts were save and will be back on display once the building re-opens.
You can see the video here: http://triangle.news14.com/content/top_stories/655478/chatham-co–courthouse-reconstruction-under-way–two-years-after-fire
New project! Chatham Artist’s Studio
March 20, 2012
This 1,000 square foot studio space for a Chatham County artist echoes the rural character of its surroundings. The design is a reinterpretation of the numerous ‘pole barns’ that dot the landscape throughout the area. Special attention has been given to the northern orientation of the clerestory windows that will provide ample amounts of diffuse natural light ideal for painting. Furthermore, large overhangs on the south face of the building will provide a shaded porch and prevent any glare from direct sunlight.
A shop space is included on the north side of the building, as well as a covered area for parking the owner’s tractor.
It’s setting, on the edge of an idealic pasture and adjacent to the owner’s home, provides sweeping views of the landscape and is framed by the large south facing windows.
Construction is anticipated during the summer of 2012.
LEED Scorecard for Fort Macon Visitors Center
March 17, 2012
Hobbs Architects, PA was the architect for the Fort Macon Visitors Center. You can download the 2 page PDF document showing their LEED scorecard. Download here. They have a LEED scorecard of Gold 45 points.
Hobbs Architects presents the Pittsboro courthouse plan to Chatham County Historical Association
February 23, 2012
Hobbs Architects, PA provided the keynote presentation at the Chatham County Historical Association’s February meeting at Central Carolina Community College in Pittsboro, NC. Current photos of the construction progress and exhibit designs were presented followed by a question and answer session with the architects. Photos presented included the following:
This photo was taken in the early 1900′s and shows the original appearance of the courthouse. The dark wood trim seen on the bell tower was uncovered during the pre-fire exterior restoration project and was found to be dark green in color. This color will again be utilized in the reconstruction project, a change from the pre-fire single color pattern.
Note the brick infill in the west window on the first floor, which originally matched what are now two windows on the west side and the west window on the south side of the building. These two rooms were originally masonry barrel vaults that were most likely used for important document storage or prisoner holding during trials. The two vaults were removed during a previous renovation and the rooms became an office and the former location of the Chatham County Historical Association.
This photo was taken during the post-fire stabilization project and shows the temporary roof being installed. Roof truss sections were assembled on the ground and hoisted into place with a crane. This scene will most likely be replayed in a couple of months when the temporary roof is removed and the permanent roof is installed.
This photo shows one of the interior fireplaces that was converted for two safes for document and/or money storage. It is believed that this was the Chatham County Finance Office at one time. This safe will be left in place for continued use by the Chatham County Historical Association when the organization’s office is relocated to the courthouse.
Some questions from the public are as follows:
- (Q) What are some of the key dates for construction that are upcoming?
- (A) The installation of the 2nd floor steel will begin this Spring. The current plan is to install the steel and pour the elevated slab while the temporary roof is in place. This will require that steel be brought in through the existing exterior doors and lifted into place by mechanical or manpower methods.
- (A) The installation of the permanent roof. This will require carful construction sequencing by the contractor, whose plan is to disassemble the roof sections one at a time and replace with the permanent roof sections in sequence. The goal is to keep the building dried in as much as possible during this process.
- (Q) How did the exterior walls survive the fire with such little damage?
- (A) The use of joist pockets in the exterior walls, which allowed the floor framing to employ diagonal ‘fire cuts’ at the bearing points. This common practice for framing wooden floor members into bearing masonry walls allows wood members to fall away from the walls in a fire without causing damage to the masonry. This is precisely what happened during the courthouse fire.
- (Q) What type of wood will be used for the interior millwork package?
- (A) Quarter sawn White Oak. Although the millwork in the building pre-fire was Mahogany, installed in the 1950′s, this is not believed to be the wood species that would have been used during the original construction. This wood would have been readily available locally, probably in the species of Pine or White Oak. The decision to provide White Oak was made for this same reason, which remains true today and a more sustainable material choice.
Susan Little, Chatham County Historical Association member, also presented the current exhibit design drawings and received public input. The architects were also available for questions and conversation after the presentation. Here is a link to their blog post about the exhibits:http://www.chathamhistory.org/museumfundraising.htm
The Chatham County Historical Association needs help in fundraising for the new exhibits. Your support for the development of the Chatham Historical Museum is needed now. Their goal is $135,000 and they have not reached their goal yet. Click on this link to download a donation form. CCHAdonorform
