West Façade, East Balcony, and Lion & Unicorn Restoration
West Façade
In 2012, the Society convened a team that included Judy Selwyn, a historic preservation consultant; David Storeygard, an architect; Mark Webster, a structural engineer; and myself, to review conditions of the west façade. Using a man-lift the team inspected the Old State House with a strong focus on its west façade. By viewing the conditions up close, the group found major deterioration issues.
The team concluded that the building had been hemorrhaging moisture, leading to decay and ice-damage. The OSH, built in 1713, was not designed to have a modern HVAC system and the wood and masonry of the building had not responded well in the 25 years since its installation. During cold months, positive air pressure maintained inside the building had pushed warm humid air out, through cracks and openings in the façades. Where the humid air encountered the cold surfaces of windows, walls, and sheathing, it condensed and froze on the building, forming ice-dams and causing cracks in masonry and rot in the wood. Water drip marks are visible on the windows and balustrades. The Society installed a relief fan and ventilation in the building’s tower to alleviate the HVAC concerns.
Brick work at the Old State House |
East Balcony
The restored balcony, ready to be assembled and reinstalled |
- Replacement of the decayed wooden corner posts and rails;
- Repair of the doors and surrounds;
- Re-flashing and sealing of areas connecting the masonry and wood;
- Repainting of all woodwork.
Lion & Unicorn Restoration
In the fall of 2014 the Society teamed with Skylight Studios to regild the lion and unicorn statues that sit atop the building on the east façade. Using a man-lift and crane, the two statues were carefully lowered into specially constructed crates for transportation to Skylight Studios. Once on-site and unpacked, the statues received much needed care. First the remaining gilding had to be stripped from the statues and the copper cleaned. Next, the statues were covered in a special primer and a clear material called size. The size is a tacky substance that gold and platinum leaf adheres to. The process was complete once the many individual sheets of gold or platinum were layered on the statues. The lion and unicorn statues were then returned to the Old State House and revealed during a small ceremony before being reinstalled on their individual perches.
Preservation and restoration work at the Old State House is on-going. For information on how you can help preserve this national treasure, please call 617-720-1713 ext. 16, or send us an email.
By Matt Ottinger, Director of Facilities and Historic Preservation