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Story of Saving the Carriage House
See The Oregonian's Move Coverage
Rehab Plan Details
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Ladd
Buying the Ladd Carriage House
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The Friends of the Ladd Carriage House are excited about the vision shown in
the plans prepared by Carleton Hart at the request of Opus Northwest. A
great deal of historic research and thoughtful architectural design effort has
gone into the plans as laid out in the
Restoration Plan document. However, cost considerations plus the
specific interior program adopted for the building dictated the exclusion of a
number of historic elements that were crucial elements of Joseph Sherwin's
original design:
- The cupola, which served as both ornament and ventilation source, was
essential both practically and aesthetically in breaking up the mass of
roofline and providing visual interest. The cost of re-creating the
cupola based on the original photographs would be substantial, partly
because of the structural support required by modern codes and earthquake
proofing standards. Still, a restoration is incomplete without it.
- On the South Elevation there was originally a large dormer centered on
the cupola, providing a flood of light into the upper story. This too
is essential to the original concept of the building. While not as
problematic from a structural standpoint as the cupola, this dormer also
would require a substantial expenditure to recreate.
- The original roofing material was a combination of standing seam
galvanized steel sheeting and stamped, galvanized steel shingles.
This roofing material lasted nearly 80 years before requiring replacement. A
few of these original shingles were discovered in the building prior to its
move. They could provide the basis for recreated shingles that match
the originals almost exactly. For further protection, modern coatings
of reproduction steel shingles could extend their life expectancy much
beyond the 80 years of the originals. Of course, with modern
accounting methodology, an 80 or 100 year life has almost no economic value,
and reproduction of these shingles is currently unlikely. (There is
some possibility, however, that under the proposed plan the standing seam
galvanized steel roofing material would be used instead of the modern
composition shingles currently in place. FOLCH strongly supports this
important step in restoring an authentic look to the building.)
- In several places existing windows of a 1920's vintage or later are
planned to be left in place. While there may be good reasons from
either a structural or practical value to the occupants, our hope would be
that a way could be found to restore all windows to as close as possible to
their original appearance. This step would probably be the least
costly way to achieve a more complete restoration of the building.
Beyond the issues of the scope of the restoration, is the concern that the
FOLCH has for returning the Ladd Carriage House to the National Register of
Historic Places. So far, it appears that the process of re-nomination to
the National Register is well under way, and a tentative OK has been received by
State and Federal authorities.
A resolution, if any, of these concerns remains in the future. The
FOLCH invites all interested parties to work with us and the developers to find
solutions to these issues and make the restored Ladd Carriage House a true
monument to the memory of William S. Ladd and his generation of leaders and
builders.
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