Supporting History

Springtime in the Rockies

Originally published in Colorado History NOW, April 2005

It’s springtime in the Rockies: The snow is melting and the rain is falling, a situation that benefits the garden but harms historic buildings.  Though water brings the plants and flowers to life, it has the opposite effect on brick, mortar, and stone.  One storm or one season won’t harm these materials, but years of standing or dripping water can cause big problems for historic buildings.  In Colorado’s fickle climate, water will freeze and thaw several times within short periods, even within a single day.  Eventually, this cycle may break out mortar and crack stone.  Too much water can also provide the right environment for fungi that cause wood to rot.

Many SHF-funded projects include components that address these water-related problems.  Sometimes the solution can be as easy as replacing a missing downspout or repairing leaky gutters.  Other solutions can be more complicated.

The Stewart Hotel Conference Center in Evergreen started as a modest bunkhouse in 1868.  By 1893, subsequent additions and the connection of the original building to adjacent buildings produced a sixteen-room hotel that now serves as a conference center and small theater.  Because of the haphazard way in which the building grew, several wall sections rested directly against an adjoining hillside.  Drainage, water infiltration into the interior, and deterioration of the horizontal split-log siding became problematic.  Workers corrected the situation by changing the slope of the hillside to create a dry zone that redirected water away from the building.  They also stabilized the foundation and repaired (or replaced when necessary) deteriorated siding.

Buena Vista’s Grace Episcopal Church, completed in 1889, also suffered water-related problems that were corrected through an SHF grant.  Over a century ago, pioneer settlers entered the place through the same doors that visitors use today.  This board-and-batten landmark is one of the best examples of the Carpenter Gothic style in the state.  Many years ago, well-meaning congregation members planted flowers and bushes around the building’s perimeter.  Decades of hand watering allowed the plantings to flourish but the process also caused water to dam up against the structure, seriously jeopardizing the stone foundation.  To resolve the situation, the project partners removed the plantings (some were transplanted elsewhere), changed the grade to slope away from the building, re-pointed the foundation and installed flagstone paving.  They also installed gutters and downspouts to direct roof runoff away from the foundation, even though the original building did not have these features.

High up in Leadville, it takes a while for the winter snow to melt.  In fact, city streets and alleys need to be plowed several times during the spring.  Such is the case behind the Sixth Street Gym.  With every snowfall and subsequent plowing, more and more snow gets pushed up against the side of the building.  This is particularly harmful to the gym’s stucco finish.  The wall could become saturated for weeks at a time as owners wait out a prolonged thaw.  A recent SHF-funded project will repair the damage, and future damage will be minimized by plowing snow away from the building into an adjacent parking lot.

So, as you contemplate your garden this spring, take time to think about how water might affect your favorite historic buildings or your own home.  Keeping the gutters clear and flowing, watching how runoff drains away from (or into) the foundation, and observing where the snow has been packed are all components of a good maintenance plan.  Prevention can be inexpensive and easy, while repair can be costly and laborious.  Or to use a watered-down cliché, a pint of prevention is worth a gallon of cure.

BY LYLE MILLER, SHF Technical Advisor

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