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By Deirdre Baldwin, HGI just completed a number of restoration projects on the 1879 Hamill Office Building. The total project budget was $63,480 with $42,340 coming from the State Historical Fund; $18,000 donated by Robert and Susan Hamill of Palm Harbor, Florida (Great-great grandchildren of William A. and Priscilla Hamill); $2,500 from the King Foundation of Denver, and $640 from the membership of HGI. The work included tuck-pointing of the four granite walls and exterior painting of the window frames. Tim McDonough of Silver Plume Home Services did the exterior stonework. Missing stones in the rear (west) were replaced and for the first time in recent memory, it looks like it's a finished wall. The three exterior solid walnut doors were removed to the shop of Heggem/Lundquist in Denver as were most of the interior shutters and window panels. The doors look wonderful, and we are particularly pleased with the south door, which was in the roughest condition after 122 years of sun damage. Several louvers in the shutters were missing and had to be remade. The walnut of the paymaster's office, Mr. Hamill's private office and the hallway entrance area was carefully refinished to remove years of dirt and grime. Great care had to be taken to preserve the old carpenter's marks made by the original craftsmen in 1879. Many of these marks remain visible and are important to our interpretation of the building because they indicate that the woodwork was never completely "finished". They also remain as strong evidence that the wood was carved and fitted here and not done somewhere else. We have yet to determine who the craftsmen were, but whoever, they were talented. The Hamill Office Building has some
of the finest woodwork in the State and we are proud to be able to
tend after it. |
All this woodwork was stripped and then a combination of varnish and oil was worked into the wood with a sanding step in between each layer. The counter top in the paymaster's office was also sanded and refinished. The interior windowsills and counter top were also waxed to bring out the detail of the wood and to protect them from the wear and tear of ordinary use. The walls of the paymaster's office were re-plastered and painted. It was a daunting task and yet the final product was well worth the time and effort that went into the process. Heggum/ Lundquist simply did a marvelous job. Probably one of the most important projects was the installation of ultra-violet panels on all the first floor windows and transoms, which was necessary to keep the sun from further deteriorating the wood. Also of particular note was the restoration of the cast-iron cresting surrounding the widow's walk atop the building. This work included the reconstruction of several missing pieces and was completed in fine fashion by Roman Haskins of Silver Plume. The cresting is one of those details which cannot be seen closely by visitors (It's quite a hike up through the building to the roof) but the next time you're by the Hamill House, bring your binoculars and take a look. It is really quite impressive. We were hopeful that everything would be in place for the beginning of Christmas Market, but the doors weren't ready. In any event, the many visitors who viewed the house and grounds during December were pleased with the restoration that had taken place. We have many people who come year after year to Georgetown to experience the holiday season with us, and many compliments were received this year about the woodwork and how wonderful everything looks. The office itself hasn't looked this good since Mr. Hamill was in residence.
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Our deepest thanks to all our donors and supporters who helped in this endeavor bringing us all one step closer to the completion of the Hamill property. A special thanks again to Robert and Susan Hamill who also generously supported our recent work on the Hamill conservatory and laundry building. |
