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Rich Duncan Construction was honored to perform historical restorations to a downtown Salem building. Located at 241-247 Commercial Street NE in Salem’s Downtown Historic District, the former home to Clockworks Café received much-needed restoration work to its north-facing wall.
The project was required to be submitted through and approved by the historic review committee before proceeding. The proposal requested permission to replace the sheet metal on the building’s parapet due to its poor condition and lack of protection against water damage. In addition, the existing brick and mortar had deteriorated to the point of allowing water to intrude into the interior of the building. Permission was needed to clean the exterior wall of biological growth, to replace bricks as needed, and to re-point the wall with new mortar.
Keeping to strict guidelines and standards as lined out by the approved administrative decision of the historic review, the project will take approximately eight weeks total and is set for completion at the end of June. The materials used and the replacement design duplicated the original appearance and structural qualities for the building; bricks from the building’s era were used during the process. Every effort was made to replicate the historical era of the original building throughout each step and stage of the restoration process. The Rich Duncan Construction crew agreed to document any important historical findings, markings, or signs that may be uncovered as the wall is restored.
The two-story building was originally constructed in 1887 with changes made to the building in 1923 and a single story rear addition built in 1960. Per the National Register of Historic Places its historic name is Benjamin Forstner Store building/South First National Bank Block. The building was designed by Holly A. Cornell (1859-1911) and is the only building of his designs remaining in Salem.
The project was partially funded through a “Toolbox Grant from the City of Salem Urban Renewal Agency, [which] provides Toolbox loans and grants for properties for restoration and improvement of buildings, including those in Salem’s Historic Downtown” says Nicole Miller, Public Information Manager for the City of Salem Urban Development Department. To learn more about Salem’s Historic Downtown District, visit Salem’s Walking Tour website.
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