The Archi - November 2011 - Alpha Rho Chi

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Historic American Building Survey (HABS) large-format photograph of Thomas House is part of the documentation process used by HPTC for the Historic Structure Report; part of HABS Library of Congress collection MD-1251-A. 14 Preserving America’s Best Idea HPTC 2008 VPI summer intern and Metagenes alumna Lexa Rio [photo left], intern Susan Satiulatis (a UMD grad), and Vitanza after a day of architectural investigation at the Thomas House. Example of penciled joints, a popular 19th-century treatment for painted brick masonry buildings, found inside the house. Details like these help explain the evolution of the building. HABS documentation drawings of exterior elevations, MD-1251-A. Original two-wythe thick walls with later 19th-century brick veneer used to cover 1864 battle damage and unify the exterior of the house. The Archi November 2011
asked to survey nationally significant historic cemetery lodges in 39 national cemeteries,” he explains, “so we’ve spent the past three years—mainly in the mid-Atlantic area — going out to these lodges and carrying out this baseline condition assessment of the buildings and reporting back with drawings and sketches and hundreds of photos about what we discovered about each building—what’s the condition, what are the character-defining features, and then, what does the agency need to be looking at to get the building back in good condition.” Many of those buildings are real survivors and in reasonable condition, according to Vitanza, “because of the robust nature of their original construction, but they all seem to have some work that needs to be done, and a handful of them are in poor condition.” Of the 39 lodges surveyed, 15 have been targeted for a stabilization project slated to begin next year. The goal is to “mothball” the buildings (“basically prepping them so they survive an additional five to ten years without any use”) until a compatible use is found. Those 15 buildings are mostly in remote, rural locations, where there’s little constituency for their use. “When historic buildings are left empty they tend to go into decline really quickly,” Vitanza notes dryly. “People notice that they’re empty, so there’ll be vandalism or break-ins, and a lot of times these buildings haven’t been kept up since the mid-70s and so are vulnerable targets.” Most National Cemetery lodges were built according to specs laid out by Montgomery C. Meigs—the same Meigs who devised the Washington reservoir system, who also served as the Quartermaster General of the Army during the Civil War. “Meigs became Meigs’ 1871 design for the lodge to be constructed at all National Cemeteries; more than 50 lodges would eventually be built to this design. Montgomery C. Meigs not only devised the Washington reservoir system, but also served as Quartermaster General of the Army during the Civil War, oversaw the construction of the early National Cemetery system, and designed a standardized plan for the cemeteries and their lodges. responsible for burials,” says Vitanza, “and his office managed the construction of the early National Cemetery system; they designed a standardized plan for the cemeteries, and they designed this building—a lodge building, which is a combined residential and office structure, done in French Second Empire style. His office wrote standardized specs for it—it was the Army, after all—so they had the drawing, and they had specs for either a onestory or two-story version, and either out of brick or stone. “And I find this really interesting: In the 1870s and 1880s, when the National Cemetery system was being developed, the Quartermaster General’s office had several of these lodges concurrently under construction all across the country, all built by private contractors… and the builders tried to cheat the government even back then! Meigs would send out his inspectors to 15 Preserving America’s Best Idea The Archi November 2011
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Page 13: A 19th-century photo of the Colonel
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Page 39 and 40: Winners of the APX Medal 2011 In 19

The Archi - November 2011 - Alpha Rho Chi

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