Approaching Annapolis,
one is greeted by a
panoramic view absent the
modern high-rise buildings
one would expect to find in
the state’s capital.
 But dominating this panorama
of steeples, spires and
Maryland’s own capitol
building cupola is the
imposing tiered dome of
the United States Naval
Academy Chapel, rising
210 feet above sea level. In
196l, the U. S. Naval
Academy was designated
as a Registered National
Historic Landmark. The
Academy Chapel is in Category I; a property of
major historic importance,
in the National Architectural
and Engineering Record.
 |
| Cutting a new access hatch into the side of the dome to restore
the gold leaf on the top of the lantern. The concrete dome
was poured around 1904. |
This multi-faceted project
required a complete exterior
make-over of an elaborate
stone structure. But it also
covered the
three other
critical areas of
restoration—wood, metal
and stained
glass. From
doorknobs to
catwalks,
copper to lead
caps, Tiffany
windows to
skylights, terra
cotta to granite
to limestone,
and from repointing to
resculpting, the vast
majority of work involved
stone repair and restoration.
Using a computer-generated
critical path method of
planning and scheduling
restoration projects, we are able to manage multiple
subcontracts.
In this case,
each of the
seven subs
were required
to follow the
project
timeline which
defines activity
relationships
for those
tasks that were
contracted out,
e.g. gilding,
metal restoration,
asbestos
removal, copper and modified
roofing, exterior lighting,
replacement of sound
system, and plumbing.
Preservation Trades Company performed all of the
masonry work, including
the repointing and resetting
of limestone and the massive
blocks of granite.
One
element was the restoration
of an elaborate decorative
stone cornice on the upper
drum. This work involved
extensive patching and
resculpting of stone using
Jahn restoration mortar.
The craftsmen took extra
care to protect the site and
the historic structure. The
Chapel houses a collection
of some of the finest Tiffany
stained glass windows
known to exist. During the
stone restoration, these
magnificent windows were
protected at all times.
 |
| Casting Jahn
Mortar to replicate one hand-carved cracked limestone frieze
in the entrance hall way leading to the Tomb of John Paul
Jones in the crypt under the alter at the US Naval Academy
Chapel. |
According to Site Foreman
Frank Camden, “There’s
nothing easy about this job
but that’s okay, because it
keeps us on our toes. We’ve
had to correct a lot of things
that were not in the specs.” From the beginning, Camden
has faced the challenge of
overcoming the rapidly deteriorating
condition of the
building which has created
much more work than was
envisioned five years ago
when the architect
designed
the
project.
The Navy
drawings detailed a
design of
eight skylights
and
eight accessory
matching copper clad
panels in between. A closer
look revealed that the skylights
were much larger than
originally thought with as
much as a 4 to 5 inch variance
in each opening size. To
make matters worse, few or
no as-built drawings existed.
The almost century-old
skylights had been concreted
over; removal was tedious
and laborious.
 |
| Restoring the loose stone
on the parapet walls on top of the US Naval Academy Chapel. |
The redesign
eliminated the copper
clad panels and the elaborate
framing grid that would have
eventually been lifted into
place by helicopter. This new
simple design saved the
Navy thousands of dollars.
The Navy contract was completed
ahead of
schedule
in January
of 1999,
with no
cost overruns
in
spite of
delays
that were
caused by
numerous redesigns during
the first six months. The
Navy presented Preservation Trades Company with
a Safety Stand Down Report
stating that no safety violations
were noted for this
project. “Overall,” cited the
report, “the site safety review
was excellent and a job well done."
Our proposal offered many innovations that saved the Navy a great
deal of money. In conjunction with Safway Steel, we engineered a
unique method of fully scaffolding the dome which prevented any weight
from being put on the copper dome. Preservation Trades Company's
critical path management also provided a timeline and construction
schedule that could be easily monitored and followed in a logical
progression of work. |
