the john cabot house - beverly, massachusetts

Architectural Conservation AssessmentThe John Cabot House - Beverly Historical Society, Beverly, MA

Finch&Rose, Beverly, MAFebruary 20, 2011

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A R C H I T E C T U R A L C O N S E R VA T I O N A S S E S S M E N TFebruary 20, 2012

THE JOHN CABOT HOUSET H E B E V E R L Y H I S T O R I C S O C I E T Y

B E V E R L Y, M A S S A C H U S E T T S

Finch&RosePreservation Consultants

5 0 F R O N T S T R E E T

B E V E R L Y, M A S S A C H U S E T T S 0 1 9 1 5

9 7 8 - 9 2 2 - 4 9 5 0

f i n c h @ f i n c h r o s e . c o m



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Contents

INTRODUCTION 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3

ROOFING - MAIN BLOCK 5

GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS - MAIN BLOCK 6

MAIN BLOCK ENTRY PORCHES AND GUTTERS 7

ROOFING - ELL 8

GUTTERS AND DOWNOUTS - ELL 9

CHIMNEYS 9

EXTERIOR MASONRY 11

WOOD TRIM AT MAIN BLOCK 12

CLAPBOARDS AND WOOD TRIM AT ELL 13

WINDOW SASH AND FRAMES 13

EXTERIOR PAINT 16

SITE AND LANDSCAPE FEATURES 16

INTERIOR FRAMING 18

INTERIOR FINISHES 20

HEATING - HVAC - DAMPNESS 23

PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL, AND SECURITY SYSTEMS 26

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 27

UNIVERSAL ACCESS ISSUES 27

BASEMENT ISSUES 28

LONG TERM PLANNING ISSUES IN THE 99 CAP 29

ADDITIONAL PLANNING ISSUES & COLLECTIONS STORAGE 30

SUMMARY OF WORK DONE SINCE THE 1999 CAP 32

SUMMARY OF CURRENT TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS 35

FIGURES (PHOTOGRAPHS, DRAWINGS, AND DATA LOG GRAPHS) 40 - 85

APPENDIX - paper by the staff of Historic New England summarizing a recent conference they held on dampness/HVAC issues 86



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INTRODUCTION

This report has been prepared to provide the architectural component of the Conservation Assessment Program Survey (CAP) for the John Cabot House of the Beverly Historical Society in Beverly, Massachu-setts. The Survey is being funded by Heritage Preservation, of Washington, D.C. A concurrent Collections Assessment has been conducted by Mary Todd Glaser, of Salem, Massachusetts.

The purpose of this report is to provide a “Recap” of the previous CAP survey of this building that was done in 1999 (99 CAP) by this author. The primary goal of this Architectural Re-Assessment is to identify current conditions of the house that may impact its preservation as well as the preservation of the collection items within it, to recommend appropriate options to remedy the identified conditions, and to review the opera-tion of the building in relation to environmental, safety, access, and security issues.

Since the 99 CAP, a variety of projects have been carried out by the Society to address both some recom-mendations of the 99 CAP and other concerns of the Society. There have been a number of Executive Direc-tors of the Society since the 99 CAP, and the records of the various projects carried out have not always been well kept. Another goal of this recap is to clarify just what has been done in the years since the 99 CAP and what remains to be done.

This report generally follows the organization of the 99 CAP in order to systematically present the work done by the Society done to address the 99 CAP recommendations. In some cases where they still apply, the descriptions of features in the 99 CAP are repeated in this document. The text of the report is organized by building systems. Exterior elements are discussed first starting with a section on the roof. Some building wide planning issues are discussed at the end of the report. Each section first describes the construction materials, their age, and other basic information. This is followed by a list of work done since 1999 to the specific building component along with other information about the work. The next sections describes the current condition of the building component and details regarding appropriate treatment, followed by a list of treatment recommendations.

This assessment is limited to an overview of the current interpretation, condition and repair priorities of the architectural materials of the Cabot House of Beverly Historical Society. While some obvious Building Code and Universal Access issues are briefly mentioned, the identification of Building Code and Access violations is not within the scope of this report. The assessment is confined to readily visible architectural components of the buildings and is not intended to evaluate structural capacities or other structural issues that are normally within the purview of a structural engineer.

The observations and recommendations of this report are based on initial field investigations by William Finch in October, 2011, with subsequent visits in January and February of 2012. Susan Goganian, and Darren Brown of the Society assisted in the investigations and provided valuable insights into the concerns of the Institution. Exterior investigations of the upper portions of the buildings were conducted from the ground using binoculars, a short ladder, and from the upper roof at the Cabot House.

Summaries of both work done since the 99 CAP and current recommendations are attached at the end of the text. The relative priority of repair recommendations is indicated by asterisks, three being high prior-ity, two being medium, and one being low. Recommendations for long range planning are indicated by the letter “P” and routine maintenance and monitoring by the letter “M”. 92 figures of photographs, drawings, data log graphs are provided at the end of the text, and are referenced by numbers in parenthesis within the text.

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A paper by the staff of Historic New England summarizing a recent conference they held on dampness/HVAC issues in their house museums is attached to the report as an Appendix.

The National Park Service publishes a series of technical brochures on a wide variety of historic preserva-tion and maintenance issues such as masonry pointing and wood shingle roofing that the Society should review as part of planning for various repair or construction projects. They are called “Technical Preserva-tion Briefs” and are available at the NPS website:

http://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs.htm

According to Society records, the Cabot House was initially constructed in 1781 as a high style Georgian brick townhouse by John Cabot on its current site. It has entry porches on the west facade (facing Cabot Street) and the south side facade (facing Thorndike Street). The north facade is largely a blank brick wall facing north. The ell was reputedly added to the east side Ca. 1802. Greek revival style woodwork at the front and side entries indicates some remodeling was done in 1834 when the house was sold to Edward Burley. The 1880’s bird’s eye view of Beverly shows an additional ell off the rear of the current ell. According to Society members this was a carriage shed that was actually sited on the edge of the street. The lot was originally longer than its current configuration. The Beverly National Bank used the north side of the first floor for its offices from 1802 until 1868. The house was acquired by the Society in 1891 as a gift from the estate of Edward Burley. The house currently serves as the primary facility for most Society activities. Dur-ing the early twentieth century the Society removed partitions between the rooms on the north side of 2nd and 3rd floors to create a meeting room on the second floor and a long storage room on the third floor. A considerable amount of original woodwork remains in place throughout the house.

The original 1781 brick structure is referred to as the “main block” in this report, and the c. 1802 wood frame addition is referred to as the “ell”.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report has been prepared by William B. Finch of Finch&Rose, Beverly, MA, to provide the architec-tural component of the Conservation Assessment Program Survey (CAP) for the John Cabot House of the Beverly Historical Society in Beverly, Massachusetts. The Survey is being funded by Heritage Preservation, of Washington, D.C. A concurrent Collections Assessment has been conducted by Mary Todd Glaser, of Salem, Massachusetts.

The purpose of this report is to provide a “Recap” of the previous CAP survey of this building that was done in 1999 (99 CAP) by this author. The primary goal of this Architectural Re-Assessment is to identify current conditions of the house that may impact its preservation as well as the preservation of the collection items within it, to recommend appropriate options to remedy the identified conditions, and to review the opera-tion of the building in relation to environmental, safety, access, and security issues. Another goal is to clarify just what has been done in the years since the 99 CAP and what remains to be done of those recom-mendations.

The observations and recommendations of this report are based on initial field investigations by William Finch in October, 2011, with subsequent visits in January and February of 2012. This assessment is limited to an overview of the current interpretation, condition and repair priorities of the architectural materials of the Cabot House of Beverly Historical Society. While some obvious Building Code and Universal Access issues are briefly mentioned, the identification of Building Code and Access violations is not within the scope of this report. It is also not intended to evaluate structural capacities or other structural issues that are normally within the purview of a structural engineer.

Substantial progress has been made in responding to the recommendations of 1999 CAP for the Cabot House, but some items remain to be addressed and some elements treated 10 years ago such as painting the ell and slate roof repairs need to be addressed again as part of their normal maintenance cycle. Important activities since the 99 CAP include:

• Repairofroofing,gutters,downspouts,andcornicetrimonthemainblockin2006.• Paintingofthemainblockin2006.• Paintingoftheellin2002.• ConvertingtheellfromandapartmenttoSocietyofficeusage.• ConstructionasecondegressfromtheWalkerCollectioninthecellar.• ReinterpretationofthenorthwestroomtoitsusagebytheBeverlyNationalBankc.1834.• Progressincataloguingandorganizingcollectionsmaterialsinstorageonthethirdfloor.

The most important repair recommendations of the current assessment include:

• Repairofasmallnumberofslippedslatesonthemainblockroof.• Replacingthecopperroofsontheentryporticos• Paintingtheexteriorwoodworkoftheellandreglazingtheputtyonallitswindows.• Repointing/rebuildingthethreemainblockchimneysandcompletingthereplacementoftheir

flashings.• Properlyprepareandpaintthefrontcastironfence.• Replacethewoodfencearoundtherearyard.• Repaintthegazeboandrepairandpaintthewellhouse• Installbatteryoperatedemergencylightingandlightedexitsignsasrequiredtomeetcurrentlife

safety codes.

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The most important planning recommendations of the current assessment include:

• Purchase and run data loggers to record temperature and relative humidity for at least a full year on all floors of the house and the archival storage areas before making any major changes to the HVAC systems such as installing central air conditioning.

• Aggressively reorganize the collections storage in the third floor rooms to facilitate access to allow both routine cleaning and better access to the collections items.

• Focus long term planning on the potential use of the ell and possibly an addition to it to and provide additional space for archival and regular collections storage and/or display, and possibly resolve Universal Access issues.

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ROOFING - MAIN BLOCK (Fig. 7, 8)

The roof on the main block of the Cabot House is a double pitched hip, the lower pitch being fairly steep and the upper pitch more moderate. The current roofing material on the lower pitch of the front and sides is grey slate (probably Vermont grey) with copper hip covers. The rear pitch has slightly different slates that appear to be a type known as “fading green”. The age of the slate is unknown, but probably goes back to the initial period of Society ownership ca. 1890’s – 1920’s. The upper pitch is covered with composition shingle roofing installed in 2006. There is a modern skylight access hatch from the attic to the upper pitch, also installed in 2006. There is a small copper vent installed with the new roof that replaced a previous attic vent. The change in pitch is wood finished with a large crown molding.

The original roofing material is not known, but likely was wood shingles. A classical wood balustrade was present on the perimeter of the upper pitch until sometime after 1940 when it clearly documented in an HABS photograph of the house. Its balusters were half round rather than full round. It probably dates to the original 1781 construction of the house. It is not known if a similar balustrade was also present around the lower roof.

Roofing work since the 1999 CAP

Major repairs were made to the roof on the main block in 2006 based on the recommendations in the 99 CAP including:

• Replacementofdefective/missingslates• Additionofsnowguardstothelowercoursesofslate(notlistedinthe99CAPbutaprudentstep

to minimize snow sliding off the roof - this included rehanging the entire lower 4’ of slate over a new Ice and Watershield membrane underlayment and a new copper drip edge.).

• Reroofingupperpitchroofwithcompositionshingles(thereisnorecordthattheroofsubstratewas examined for evidence of the original roofing material and placement of past balustrade posts).

• Replacementoftheskylightwithamodernunit• Replacementofhipflashingswith16oz.copperflashings• Partialreplacementofchimneyflashings• Paintingofwoodmoldingsatthechangeinpitchbetweentheupperandlowerroofs• Replacementofsectionsofthewoodcrownmoldingandmuchofthefasciaatthecornicebelow

the lower roof. Sections replaced include the entire north side, and half of the rear and south sides. The original crown molding remains on the front and the remainder of the south and rear sides. (repair of short defective sections rather than complete replacement was discussed in the 99 CAP).

• Repairandrehangingofthecopperguttersonthefrontandbackpitches(seeguttersectionbe-low).

The 2006 work was carried out by Bedrock Building Consultants, Inc. of Beverly as the General Contrac-tor, with the roofing being done by Will Spouse Contracting, the carpentry by Barrowclough Contracting, LLC of Beverly, and the painting by White Painting. The initial contract was for $73, 400. The entire build-ing was staged. Although the Contractor’s proposal calls for rehanging the lower courses of slate with new snow guards on all sides of the building, the current presence of old wire snow guards on the rear pitch indicates the work there was limited to installing a new copper drip edge and rehanging the gutter. Ac-cording to the Spouse proposal, an Ice and Watershield underlayment was installed under the shingles on the entire upper pitch.

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The slate roof appears to be generally sound, but a few isolated slates are broken or missing on the front and both side pitches, including several on the south pitch that are close to the eaves and could slip off the roof endangering pedestrians. Slate roofs suffer occasional damage from snow and ice, which is probably the cause of the current broken slates. As part of routine maintenance, the roof should be visually checked for broken slates at the end of each winter. When broken/missing slates are observed a contractor expe-rienced in repairing slate roofs should be hired to replace the damaged slates. This would normally be a one day or half day job. It would be best to have an ongoing relationship with a local roofer for this type of work.

The chimney flashings were partially replaced in conjunction with the 2006 roof repairs, with only the sides and downhill portions of the flashings had been replaced.

The composition roofing on the upper pitch was in sound condition.

Roof Treatment Recommendations• Replacemissing,loose,andbrokenslates.***(M)

GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS - MAIN BLOCK (Fig. 9-1)

There are copper hung half round gutters of unknown age on the front and rear pitches of the main block. The gutters are hung in front of the wood crown moldings that are under the bottom course of slate. There are currently no gutters on the south and north sides. Based on the 1940 HABS photograph, half round gutters on all sides in the 1940s. Copper downspouts are located at each end of the front and rear pitch gutters.

Work since the 1999 CAP

The extent of repairs and replacement of the gutters and downspouts on the main block is not clear. The 2006 roofing proposal including rehanging of the front and rear gutters with repairs as needed, and re-placement of all four downspouts with new copper downspouts. At minimum, both gutters appear to have been rehung, probably reusing the existing hangers, and at least one of the downspouts replaced.

Current Conditions

At the front pitch the south 6’ of the gutter slopes abruptly upward towards the downspout outlet, and some other sections appear to be hung too high or low. As a result water may be overflowing the back of the gutter because it cannot flow uphill to the downspout outlets. Moderate dirt stains on the cornice behind the gutter probably result from the overflow.

At the rear pitch much of the face of the gutter has been severely distorted by sliding snow and ice. The distorted portion of the gutter probably overflows onto the ell roof. This condition was not noted in the 99 CAP and the gutter was rehung in 2006, so the distortion has probably has developed since then. Old wire snow guards remain in place on this portion of the roof, and may not be very effective in holding back the snow and ice. The hangers are screwed into the crown molding rather than being fastened to the roof sheathing under the first course of slate.



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Only one downspout actually reaches the ground (at the southerly end of the front gutter). 90% of the northerly downspout at the front gutter is missing. At the rear gutter, the bottom 10’ or so is missing from both gutters. All the downspouts are unpainted copper, which makes them an obvious target for thieves stealing copper for scrap metal. Painting the downspouts brick color would make them a less obvious target for thieves. Leaving the downspouts without their lower sections will over time cause to the brick mortar joints. This is already apparent at the southeast corner where the joints are somewhat eroded and the brick turning green from chronic dampness.

Treatment Recommendations• Monitorfrontandrearguttersduringheavyraintodetermineifandwherewater

overflowsthegutter,andthenhavesectionsrehungasneededtocorrectoverflowproblems.***(M)

MAIN BLOCK ENTRY PORCH ROOFS AND GUTTERS (Fig. 12-14, 39)

The two entry porches on the main black have small pan flat seam soldered copper roofs of unknown age. They were in place at the time of the 99 CAP, at which time they were estimated to be at least 40 - 50 years old. The outer edges of both roofs are finished to function as small gutters that are continuous with the roof surface. Small outlet tubes are located at each outer corner to lead water into downspouts. On the west side porch the downspouts are missing, while they remain present on the front portico.


No work has been done since the 1999 CAP other than painting the wood crown moldings and trim below the roof.

Current Conditions

The copper roofs appear to be in the same condition described in the 99 CAP or worse and are beyond the end of their service life. The extent of peeling paint on the cornice woodwork under the roof edge is not as great as observed in 98, probably because it has been repainted since then.

On the south portico, a substantial area of copper was found to be worn clear through with the wood sheathing visible through the hole. Its northerly crown mold return is stained from water flowing over the edge of the roof, and its joint with the front crown mold has a wide separation. Where the copper roof-ing is turned down over the top of the front crown molding, its nails have come loose resulting in a gap at the top of the crown molding, and the crown molding is loose. The gutter trough at the perimeter of the roof has been repeatedly patched with tar. Some of the mortar joints that serve as reglets for the lead cap flashings are wide open. There are water stains and cracks in the plaster ceiling that is under this roof. The downspouts are missing.

On the front entry, a distinct separation of paint behind the lower edge of the fascia suggests that water continues to leak into the cornice at the roof edge due to standing water in the gutter trough directly above the fascia seeping through small defects. Pinholes in the copper next to the solder are documented in the 99 CAP. While we did not observe larger holes in this roof, there were cracks and separations in some of the solder joints, and we observed another pinhole. As both roofs were probably installed at the same time, this roof will likely develop more substantial failures in the near future and should be replaced at the same time as the west portico roof.

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The downspouts on the front portico appear to be functioning, although a small rust spot at the top elbow of the easterly downspout suggests it is starting to rust out and will need to be replaced within a few years. Standing water was observed in the trough at the northerly front end of the front portico indicating that the outlet does not effectively drain the roof. The leaders for the missing downspouts on the south portico are open at the roof surface, but they are placed several inches above the trough at the roof edge that serves as a gutter, which is why water is flowing over the south edge of the roof.

Treatment Recommendations• Replacethesouthentryporticoroofwithnewflatseam20oz.copper,relatedflash-

ings,anddownspouts.***• Replacethefrontentryporticoroofwithnewflatseam20oz.copperandrelated

flashings,ideallyatthesametimethesouthporticoroofisreplaced.***

ROOFING - ELL

The rear ell has a gable roof terminated with a hip section at the extreme rear, and also has a one story projection along full length of the south side. There is also a projecting bay window at the second floor of the rear facade. All the ell roofs except the bay are currently covered with red cedar wood shingles. The shingles on the main ell roof were in place for some years prior to the 99 CAP. The bay has a copper roof of unknown age. A recent addition against the main block on the side of the one storey projection on the south side also has a wood shingle roof that is continuous with the south side one storey projection. The addition provides a second egress for the basement of the main block.

Work since the 1999 CAP (Fig. 15)

The only work to the roof has been the construction of the egress addition on the south side of the ell. It is not known if the recommendation of the 99 CAP to apply a preservative to the wood shingle roofs was followed.

Current Conditions

The wood shingle roofs continue to be serviceable, although they have considerably more twisted and/or split shingles than in 99. The south pitch has more warped shingles than the north pitch. There are cur-rently no known leaks from the roof. As they are probably at least 20-25 years old, they will likely need to be replaced within another 5 years. The shingles on the south side one story projection and the egress addition are recent and in good condition. The standing seam copper roof on the rear bay appears to have a coating of copper colored paint on it that may have been applied when the adjacent wood gutter was replaced. As we could only see it from a distance, we could judge its condition.

Treatment Recommendations• Planforthereplacementoftheupperwoodshingleroofandthecopperroofonthe

rearbaytobedonewithin5years.Newroofingshouldberedcedar“perfection”gradeshingles.Anoptionwouldbeto“tapersawn”redcedarshingles,whichhaveslightlythickerbuttsandmaylastlonger.(***P)



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GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS - ELL (Fig. 16)

The main roof of the ell has wood gutters with galvanized steel downspouts on all its facades.


The wood gutter on the rear (north) facade of the ell has been replaced with a matching wood gutter.

Current Conditions

The gutter on the south pitch has a split and a 2’ long dark area that may be the start of rot near the middle downspout leader. Its condition should be checked from a ladder the next time the gutters are cleaned. The rest of that gutter and the ones on the north side and rear appear to be sound other than peeling paint. As viewed from the main roof both gutters had some sections with a moderate amount of leaves in them. All the galvanized downspouts also appear to be sound other than peeling paint. They are all intact to the ground.

Treatment Recommendations• Checktheconditionofthesplitinthesouthpitchgutternearthecenterdownspout

thenexttimethegutteriscleaned.(***M)• Applya50/50linseedoil/turpentinesolutiontotheinteriorofthewoodguttersevery

twoyears.(***M)• Cleanoutleavesfromgutters3-4timesayear.(***M)

CHIMNEYS

There are three chimneys, all serving the original block with two along the north wall and the third in the center of the south roof pitch just below the junction between the upper and lower roof pitches. All three are constructed with red waterstruck brick similar to the main facades. They were last partially repointed in the 1984. They probably have not been substantially rebuilt above the roof line since the original con-struction of the house, although it is possible they were rebuilt around 1900 when the Society took over the house and made changes to create the open second and third floor rooms on the north side of the house.

Work since the 1999 CAP (Fig. 17-28)

• Theonlyworkdonesincethe99CAPhasbeenthepartialreplacementofroofflashingsonallthree chimneys.

Current Conditions

Other than the partial replacement of roof flashings, the condition of the chimneys remains as described in the 99 CAP. All three chimneys are topped with concrete caps that are probably formed on sheet metal bases. The furnaces in the cellar are vented through northeast chimney.

The easterly north chimney has severely open joints with obviously loose brick in the top 10 courses. The condition of the top has not substantially worsened since the 99 CAP, based on photographs taken



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in 1998. Currently there is a vertical crack that runs through both bricks and mortar starting 12 courses down from the top. The joints below the top area exhibit widespread hairline cracks and loss of bond. The replacement of flashings is limited to the lower sides and bottom apron where the slates were relaid to install snow guards. The new flashings are copper. The uphill flashing as observed from the upper roof ap-peared to be intact, but the area most likely to wear first where the slates lap over its top edge could not be seen.

The westerly north chimney is in better condition with a smaller number of random joints exhibiting hair-line cracks and some moderately spalled bricks on its south face. The flashings are the same as the north chimney.

The south chimney exhibits numerous deeply open or cracked joints on much of both its north and south sides. The the voids in the joints on the north side are so deep that rebuilding rather than repointing may be warranted. The old cap flashings on its base and sides that were previously covered with tar have been replaced with lead cap flashings. It does not appear that the base flashings were replaced, and their condi-tion is not known. The uphill flashings were not replaced.

The evidence of leaking on third floor finishes and on the chimneys within the attic remains much as de-scribed in the 99 CAP and appears to be largely unchanged. The southerly chimney in the attic has exten-sive stains form past leaks, but comparison of a photo form the 99 CAP with a current photos shows the stains have not changed on that face in the photos. BHS staff report they have not observed any active leaks down the attic faces of this chimney (they do not routinely check for leaks), but there have been occasional drips on the woodwork of the chimney breasts in both second floor rooms. In the north third floor room there is substantial plaster damage at the ceiling and rip marks on the chimney breast woodwork at both chimneys. As the ceiling plaster and chimney breasts have not been painted for many years and there are no photos of that room in the 99 CAP, it is not possible to determine if there have been recent changes in the staining and plaster damage that would indicate recent leaks form the north chimneys. At the second floor there has not been any water damage at the chimney breasts.

The flues in each of the fireplaces are currently blocked off, except at the southerly north chimney where the blocking has fallen down.

Treatment Recommendations Partiallyrebuildandrepointallthreechimneysusingamortarmixof1:2:7Portland

cement:lime:sand,byvolume)orNHL5NaturalHydraulicCementbyVirginaLimeworks(1:21/2):• SouthChimney:100%cutandrepointalljointsandatminimumrebuildthetop

6-10courses;rebuildingdowntotherooflinemayprovenecessary.***• Easterlynorthchimney:100%cutandrepointalljointsandrebuildthetop12

courses***• Westerlynorthchimney:Cutandrepointalldefectivejointsonaspotbasis***• Atallthreechimneys,replaceallflashingsthatwerenotreplacedin2006,including

oldbaseflashingsunderthe2006capflashingsonthesidesofthechimneys.Newflashingsshouldbe20ozcopper.***

• Replaceconcretechimneycapswithnew200z.copperchimneycapshavingventila-torsovereachflue(refertoFig.27&287fordetails).***

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Easterly?

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EXTERIOR MASONRY (Fig. 29-35)

The main block is constructed of 18th century red water struck brick laid up in Flemish bond. Much of the visible mortar appears to be the original white lime mortar. Some limited spot repointing was done in 1984 when the chimneys were also repointed. The north facade has also had some 19th century alterations to fill in openings for one window and a door in conjunction with the building’s past usage as a bank. The brick was painted during the late 19th century, and probably earlier. The paint was removed by the Society in 1907 according to Society records. Although this was likely done by sand blasting, the surface of the brick appears to be holding up without excessive spalling. There are a projecting brick belt courses between the first and second floors, and the second and third floors. Lead flashing covers the tops of the belt courses. The lead is very thick and may be original or quite early. The base of the building has a projecting brick water table on an exposed foundation of roughly dressed granite ashlar. First and second floor windows on the front and sides have flat splayed arches constructed with rubbed headers having very tight joints At the rear facade the windows have segmental arches.


• Therehasbeennoworkdonetotheexteriormasonrysincethe1999CAP.

Current Conditions

The bricks and their pointing on the principal facades are in sound, serviceable condition other than some open joints that form the reglets to receive flashings for the belt courses and portico roofs, a few areas of moderately eroded joints where downspouts are missing, and very few randomly scattered joints with defective mortar. The latter are not extensive enough to warrant spot repointing.

The reglets for the belt course flashing over the bricked up openings at the north facade have areas of deep voids that may be the cause of current leaks at the former window and door in the banking room. The in-filled brick at these openings is two or perhaps only a single wythe thick, in contrast to the rest of the wall which is at least three wythes thick. During pronged periods of heavy rain, the bricks at the former open-ings may become completely saturated and weep water through to their interior face and thus causing the current leaks. Whether the leaks are caused by relative thinness of the brick wall or the voids on the joints for the belt course flashings, or both, cannot be determined without doing some careful water testing. However, the fact that the leaks show up at the heads of the door and window suggest that the open joints at the belt course flashings are the cause.

At the other belt courses and the portico roofs there are limited areas of open joints at the reglets for the flashing. Some of the lead belt course flashings have developed cracks from fatigue failure due to thermal stress. These defects do not appear to be causing leaks that penetrate to the interior finishes. As we believe the lead flashing may be very early, we recommend that they be retained as is. If it is felt necessary to repair any of cracks in it, the repair should be made by bedding a new piece of lead in sealant over the cracked area. The new lead should extend a minimum of 2” on each side of the crack.

Treatment Recommendations• Atthebeltcoursesabovethenorthsidedoorandwindow,cutoutallmortarinthe

jointthatreceivestheleadflashings,andeitherrepointthejointwithmortarorfillitwithahighgradepolyurethaneorpolysulfidesealant(notamodifiedlatexseal-ant).***

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• Attheregletsforrooflashingatthefrontandsouthentryporticos,cleanoutallreg-letstoreceivenewflashings,pointingtheregletswithmortarorsealant.***

• Attheotherbeltcoursescutandrepointanydefectiveflashingregletsonaspotbasis(mostofthejointsappeartoremainsound)**

• Retaintheleadflashingsonthebeltcoursesinplacedespiteminordefects.***(M)

WOOD TRIM AT MAIN BLOCK (Fig. 36-39)

The wood trim at the main block is limited to the projecting roof cornice, the wood columns, entablature, and paneled sides forming the south and front entry porticos, and the wood frames at the windows (the latter are discussed below in the section on windows). The roof cornice is original to the Georgian con-struction of the building. It includes a bed molding, modillion blocks, and a fascia with a large classical two part crown molding.

The entry porticos were added in the second quarter of the nineteenth century, probably in 1834, and are Greek revival in style. The front portico includes an open porch with freestanding fluted ionic columns carrying a formal entablature, fluted ionic pilasters, and a recessed entry lined with paneled woodwork. The south side portico is an enclosed projecting entry porch having plain Doric pilasters with an entabla-ture above.


• Replacementofabouthalfofthemaincornicecrownmoldingandpartofthefasciawithrelatedblocking in conjunction with roof repairs.

• Repairoffrontentrycolumnbasesandshaftsplits,mostlybyfillingcrackswithsealant.

The 99 CAP recommendation was to replace only severely defective sections of the cornice crown mold-ing, leaving sound 18th century material in place as much as possible and conserving it using epoxy consolidation and filling. Based on the Contractors proposal and looking carefully at the current cornice, the 2006 work replaced the entire crown molding on the north side, and half the molding on south and east sides. The original crown molding remains in place on the entire front facade and half of the rear and south side facades.

Current Conditions

The main cornice is in sound condition with no visible defects.

The repairs to the column and pilaster bases and shafts are sloppily executed and starting to open up again. The plinth bases (the rectangular boxes under the columns) are coming apart at the corners at the front facade, and there may be some underlying rot. The left column at the front portico has a long split rising up from a disjunction of the molded base that has been filled with sealant. At the south side portico to the crown molding is loose and separating at the right hand corner. In other respects the columns, pilasters, entablature, and paneling are sound. The paint on both porticos was completely stripped in 1984, except for the entablature of the front portico. While this has resulted in the complete loss of any record of the historic paint treatments (except at the front entablature), the work was well done with the result that the panel moldings and carved capitols are crisp with all their detail clearly visible.

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Treatment Recommendations• Redorepairstothecolumnshaftsandbasesusingsoundconservationcarpentry

methodsratherthanfillingopenareaswithsealants.Thismayrequiretemporaryremovalofthecolumnshaftsandaccurateduplicationofturnedcolumnbases.**

CLAPBOARDS AND WOOD TRIM AT ELL (Fig. 40, 41)

The ell is clad with wood clapboards, plane corner boards and facia, a simple roof overhang formed by the exterior projection of the roof rafters, and a projecting bay window at the second floor of the rear facade. The clapboards appear to date to the late 19th century or later. A long wood ramp with a metal railing is present of the north side of the ell to provide handicapped access to the building through the ell entry door. It was added in 1984.


• Theconstructionofasecondegressforthemainblockcellarbyaddingontothesouthsideoftheone story section along the south side of the ell. The exterior detailing of the addition matches the adjacent ell.

• Replacementofan8’sectionofdeterioratedlatticeatthebaseofthehandicappedramp.

Current Conditions

Other than peeling paint, the clapboards and trim on the ell are in sound, serviceable condition. Much of the lattice along the base of the handicapped ramp is coming apart. While this does not affect the func-tionality of the ramp, it is disfiguring. The wood surface of the ramp is becoming weathered and its nails starting to rust.

Treatment Recommendations• Replacelatticeathandicappedrampandrepaintinuniformcolor.**• Planforreplacementofthewooddeckingoftherampwithin5years.**(P)

WINDOW SASH AND FRAMES (Fig. 42-54)

The windows in the main block are large 6/6 wood single hung sash on the first and second floors and 3/3 on the third floor of the main block. The sash in the main block probably date to 1834 when the house was purchased by Edward Burly from the Beverly National Bank, as the profile of their muntins match the muntins in the north door of the banking room that was installed in 1834, and the paint sequence on the sash in that room is similar to the sequence on the 1834 transom sash. The sash have a substantial amount of crown glass in them, which was not widely available after c. 1850. The glass size is approximately 11 1/2” x 16 1/2”. The individual sash measure approximately 39 1/4” wide x 37 1/4” high. The lower sash are oper-able, being hung with ropes and pulleys. The pulleys are the original c. 1781 wood pulleys. The upper sash are fixed in place and were never operable. The sash on the third floor appear to be more recent than the others.

The window frames are probably original to 1781. They have heavy wood sills and ogee profile band mold-ings on the jambs and heads (the ogee profile on the band moldings is typical of late Georgian woodwork). Most of the jambs still have pintels in them that held the wood louvered exterior shutters that were present

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by the late nineteenth century. The shutters remained in place until at least 1940, but are no longer present. The interior casings and trim includes folding pocket shutters that date to the original 1781 construction of the house. A number of the windows have painted sheet metal covering the tops of the sills.

The original 1781 sash were also probably glazed in a 6/6 configuration, but with wider muntins. While it is conventional to assume that eighteenth century sash had smaller panes set in 12/12 configurations, pretentious grand scale houses like the Cabot House often had 6/6 sash with large panes. Sash with smaller panes usually used glass sizes that were standard such as 7” x 9”, 8” x 10”, and 9” x 12”. These standard sizes in a 12 light configuration do not properly fit within a Cabot House sash. In the eighteenth century there were no “standard” sizes for the large glass panes used in the Cabot House, and the glass was custom cut to fit the windows. Other examples with large paned eighteenth century 6/6 sash are the Lee mansion in Marblehead, the Pierce-Nichols House in Salem, and the Dalton House in Newburyport.

The windows in the ell are 12/12 on the first floor and 6/6 on the second floor and the egress addition on the south side. The 12/12 windows are modern 30-40 year old replacement sash that replaced much earlier 12/12 sash. The second floor sash date to the second half of the nineteenth century. Their muntins have a thin knife blade (or lamb’s tongue) profile typical of that period.

All the windows of the main block and ell have exterior aluminum storm windows of unknown age. They were in place at the time of the 99 CAP.


• Theexteriorofthemainblockwindowswerepaintedin2006alongwithrecaulkingthejointbetween the frames and the brick. The White painting proposal stipulates that the sash covered by storm windows would not be painted. Therefore it is uncertain whether the sash were repainted and glazed at that time, although they generally appear to look to be in good condition.

• UVscreeningfilmwasappliedtotheglasspanesintheroomshousingexhibits.Theapplicationwas done by BHS staff.

Current Conditions

On the main block, the exterior paint on a few of the window sills is starting to flake and peel. The caulk-ing between the window frames and the brick jambs and head is now sound (it was an issue in the 99 CAP). The old metal covers on some sills suggest the presence of more extensive deterioration of the sill below the metal, although at one where we lifted a corner the wood was sound. As recommended in the 99 CAP, the condition of the sills with metal covers should be checked by carefully lifting portions of the cov-ers. It is not uncommon for deterioration to continue under such cover due to water getting underneath. If no ongoing deterioration or deep rot is found under the covers, they can be left in place. If ongoing dete-rioration is found, the metal covering should be removed and the defects in the sills repaired using epoxy conservation techniques and/or installing wood Dutchman inserts to replace areas of significant rot.

The wood lintel at the head of the northerly first floor window on the rear facade has come loose and needs to be nailed in place and recaulked.

The exterior glazing on the main block sash appears to remain sound on all but one window (northern-most second floor window on the front facade).



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The interior condition of the main block sash varies with some having peeling paint on the muntins and lower rails from condensation, and others being fully sound. We did not see the severe condensation damage such as heavy erosion of muntins and severely peeling paint from that we often see on the sash in museum houses. This is probably because condensation occurs primarily on the interior of the storm windows rather than the historic sash. Many of the sash had a noticeable accumulation of dust and dirt on upper faces of the muntins and rails. This is a housekeeping issue. The third floor windows had very heavy accumulations of dust, including the louvers of their Venetian blinds. The bedding putty (putty be-tween the interior face of the glass and the muntins) remained sound at most windows, but in a few it was substantially deteriorated or void at the base of the bottom panes. Crown glass usually is not perfectly flat and has a slight curve that provides some of its unique visual character. As it is now quite rare, special care should be taken to preserve the remaining pieces. While reproduction cylinder glass is available (that is the more common “wavy” glass found in old windows), crown glass is no longer made. Many of the muntins were originally scribed to fit the curvature of the crown glass. This can result in an extra thick bed of bed-ding putty where flat modern glass has been set to replace a crown glass pane.

The majority of the lower sash are no longer operable, either because their ropes or missing or broken, and/or they have been painted shut. The existing ropes are modern, so they have been repaired in the past to function. The original pulleys remain in place and appear to be in good condition. Access to the weight pocket appears to be by removing the board on which the shutters are hinged, making repairing the ropes a time consuming operation that also requires considerable carpentry skill.

The joinery on most of the sash appeared to remain sound with the corners appearing to remain tight ex-cept for some small separations being visible at a few lower sash (primarily the east windows in the library and the second floor meeting room). As in the 99 CAP, joinery conditions could not be fully assessed because most windows could not be opened to examine the undersides of the corner joints.

At the ell, the exterior glazing putty on many of the sash is deteriorated, loose, and/or missing. They should be reglazed in conjunction with repainting the exterior of the ell. On the interior, many of the second floor sash have deteriorated paint from condensation on their lower muntins and rails. The balance systems for the sash vary, and it may be that some of the modern replacements never were set up with ropes and pul-leys.

Treatment Recommendations• Attheellreglazeallthewindowsinconjunctionwithrepainting.***• Atthemainblockreglazeandrepairbrokenexteriormuntinsatthenortherly2nd

floorfrontfacadewindow.**• Thewoodlintelattheheadofthenortherlyfirstfloorwindowontherearfacadehas

comelooseandneedstobenailedinplaceandrecaulked.***(M)• Atallwindowscleantheinteriorsurfacesofsashandframestoremovedustaspart

ofroutinehousecleaning.**(M)• Prepareandspotrepaintsashmuntinshavingloosepaintfromcondensationto

matchadjacentsurfaces.**• Repairbrokenropesandmakealllowerwindowsashoperable.**(M)

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EXTERIOR PAINT (Fig. 55, 56)

Exterior paint is limited to the cornices, entry porches, and windows on the main block, and all the exteri-or surfaces of the ell. The main block was last repainted in 2006, and the ell in 2002. Most of the woodwork on the front and south side entry porticos including the doors was stripped to bare wood in 1984. The entablature of the front entry still appears to retain its full sequence of historic paints. Paint on the various iron and wood fences, and the gazebo are discussed in separate sections below.


• Themainblockwasrepaintedin2006aspartofthegeneralcontractthatalsorepairedtheroof.The work included recualking all window frames at their junction with the masonry head nand jambs. According to the General Contractor’s proposal, the painting including spot priming and a single coat of oil finish paint, but did not include the removal of storm windows and painting of the sash and woodwork that is covered by them. The work was done by White Painting of Beverly.

• Theellwasrepaintedin2002.Thereisnorecordonthetypeofpaintused.

Current Conditions

The paint on the main block remains generally sound, with a few elements beginning to show wear and light peeling. Peeling was noted on a few windows sills, and on the door in the south side entry portico. Window sills are typically the first area of paint to start deteriorating. Touching up these areas of peeling this year would probably prolong the overall life of the overall paint job. To the limited extent they can be seen through the storm windows, the window sash and their glazing appears to remain reasonably sound. Complete repainting should be planned to take place in 2-4 years.

The paint on the ell is in poor condition with widespread areas of flaking and peeling paint, especially on the east facade. If left much longer, the wood on upper facing elements such as the water table will start to deteriorate. Painting should include the temporary removal of all storm windows to paint and reglaze the window sash. The recently added egress ell should receive at least one coat of finish paint so that future repainting will be in the same cycle as the rest of the ell.

Treatment Recommendations• Prepareandrepaintallexteriorclapboardsandtrimattheellwithinthenext2

years.Theworkistoincludereglazingallwindowsash.***• ATthemainblockrepaintwindowsillswherethepaintisstartingtopeelandthe

entiredooratthesouthsideentry.**

SITE AND LANDSCAPE FEATURES (Fig. 57-65)

A cast iron fence on a granite base is present along the sidewalk on the west (front) and south sides of the main block. Based on its style, it dates to the middle third of the nineteenth century. A wood picket fence borders the south, rear, and north sides of the rear yard of the property starting at the end of the south cast iron fence. Its construction date is not known, but it is present in the 1940 HABS photos of the property. A nineteenth century lattice gazebo is located in the southeast corner of the yard. It was being repaired and reroofed by the North Bennett Street School Restoration Carpentry program at the time of the 99 CAP. It was formerly located in the center of the yard. There is also a small well head structure, a large iron pot, and a utility shed. The plan of the yard with its plantings and the details of the gazebo were recorded in



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1940 by the Historic American Building Survey (HABS). A small unpaved parking area encroaches on the a portion of the north side of the yard. A wood handicapped ramp with an iron railing is located on the north side of the ell.


• Damagetothefrontsectionofthecastironfencewasdealtwithbymovingtherearmostsectionof the south side fence to replace the damaged front section.

• Paintingofthegazebowascompletedin1999.

Current Conditions

In general, little work other than lawn mowing and shoring up the wood fence has been done since the 99 CAP to maintain the site and its landscape features.

Cast Iron Fence: There is widespread peeling of the paint down to bare metal resulting in substantial areas of rust. The moved section was stripped of paint when it was moved, but was never finish painted, leaving its matt primer as the finish. There are various small bits of damage such a missing finals from vandalism. Where finials are missing on the tops of posts, water gets into the inside of the posts will even-tually cause destroy the posts. Sections of the granite base are cracked and/or misaligned, and a section of a concrete used to repair a damage at the south entry has moved substantially out of place. With further postponement of proper painting and repair, the deterioration of the fence will become severe and risk its loss. The 1940 HABS photo shows the fence full intact, including returns to the south entry that are now missing.

Wood Picket Fence (Fig. 57, 58): The picket fence has become extremely deteriorated with some sections literally falling apart and others damaged by vandalism. The horizontal rails are rotting, as are a number of the posts. Missing pickets and a generally disheveled appearance invite further damage by vandalism. The entire fence needs to be rebuilt to match the existing fence with some minor variations to pitch the top surfaces of rails and posts to drain off water more effectively than currently. It may be possible to remove and reuse a substantial number of the existing pickets on new rails, although that may not be cost effective unless the fence is being rebuilt by volunteer labor. Wood species that are naturally resistant to rot should beused,suchasheartwoodredcedar.Blacklocustisanexcellentwoodfortheposts,butdifficulttoobtaincommercially. Pressure treated wood should not be used, as it does not hold paint well. Likewise, vinyl fencing should not be used in the context of an historic museum. We understand there are plans to have the Beverly Votech School rebuild the fence this year.

Gazebo (Fig. 60-63): Little has been done to maintain the gazebo since it was painted in 1999. The paint is now failing badly exposing areas of bare wood. Many nailheads are now rusting. Further postponement of painting will undo all the restoration work done in 1998 and risk the loss of the structure. The 99 CAP expressed concern that the placement of the gazebo in the rear corner of the yard rather than its historic position would render it “out of sight and out of mind” thus encouraging a lack of maintenance and invit-ing vandalism. It also recommended that it be placed on a proper foundation, which has not been done. The placement was chosen with the idea that the Society could rent the yard for weddings, which has not occurred (and seems unlikely in the future).

Well House (Fig. 64): This also has been neglected. Its roof boards are largely void of paint and coming loose. It needs to be painted and repaired before it falls apart.

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Plantings (Fig. 62, 63, 65): Although there have been past efforts to have volunteers and/or Garden Clubs reestablish the garden beds and plant them with perennials , nothing has happened. At this time the only maintenance is occasional mowing of the lawn, which itself is not in good condition. At the time of our first site visit last October, the much of the ground was littered with old beechnuts that looked like they had not been racked up for some time. At this writing (February) they still have not been cleaned up. The large beech tree, which is very handsome and should not be removed, makes maintenance of a lawn be-neathitdifficult,butleavingthebeechnutsandleavesonthegroundforextendedperiodsfurthercompli-cates the task.

Treatment Recommendations

CastIronFence:• properlypreparebyremovingallrustandrepainttheentirefence.***• Havepropermoldsmadetorecastandreplacethemissingfinials.***• Havepropermoldsmadetofullyrecasttheprimarysectionsofthefenceandrestore

allthemissingsections.**

WoodPicketFence:• Completelyreplaceentirefencetomatchtheexistingfencewithminorchangeto

detailstoshedwaterfromhorizontalsurfaces.Userotresistantwoodspecies.***

Gazebo:• Repaintwithinthenextyear.***• Considermovingbacktoitsoriginallocationatthecenteroftheyard,placingfoun-

dationstonestoalignwiththestructuralloadsoftheposts.**

WellHouse:• Repairboardingandrepaint.***

Plantings:• Fullyrakeyardeachfalltocompletelyremoveleavesandbeachnuts.**(M)• Cleanoutbasementwindowwellseachfall**(M)• ConsiderrenewingeffortstohaveagardenCluborothervolunteersreestablish

flowerbedseitherfollowingthe1940HABSplanorotherperiodappropriateColo-nialRevivalplan**(P)

INTERIOR FRAMING (Fig. 66-71, 79)

As with the 99 CAP, the interior framing of both the main block and the ell is covered with various finishes and was therefore not reviewed other than where it was visible and reasonably accessible in the attic and basement. The building did not exhibit abnormal deflections or sags for a structure of this type and age. Cracks and patch lines in the ceiling of the third floor north room appear to relate to partitions that were removed in the early 20th century. Unfortunately, we do not have any clear photos from the 99 CAP show-ing these cracks to compare with current conditions. However, both the extent of dirt in the cracks and our memory of conditions in 1999 suggest these cracks have been present for many years with little change. As no changes to the structure have been made since the 99 CAP the observations and recommendations of that report remain valid.

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We have looked more closely at the timbers and tie rods on the north side of the attic. As the added tim-bers have both circular and band saw marks they do not date to the 1834 changes in the banking rooms and possibly the second floor above the bank. Most likely they were added fairly soon after 1891 when the Society created the second floor meeting room by removing partitions and possibly a service stair to the third floor that separated the front and back north side rooms. It seems likely that the partitions between the third floor north side rooms were also removed at that time. Two of the tie rods appear to coincide with the former north/south partitions on the third floor and probably are intended to support the origi-nal third floor ceiling beams from the attic roof trusses. A thin post near the center of the current north third floor room is an extension of the third attic tie rod to support a north/south beam across the center of the third floor meeting room ceiling. Further investigation of the structure in this area is warranted, and should start with creating measured floor plans that locate the former partitions along with attic trusses and tie rods.

The investigations we made for our 2001 report on evidence for the restoration of the banking room did provide substantial information on the layout of the cellar framing for the north side of the first floor and the positions of former partitions between the banking room and the original kitchen. That information is described in our December, 2001 report on the banking rooms including a schematic first floor framing plan. One conclusion that can be drawn from that investigation is that the original framing of the house was unusually massive and substantial. In the cellar the chimney girts under the walls of the center hall measure 12” x 15”, principal beams under the side rooms are 12” x 12”, and floor joints are 5” x 6” spaced 18”-23” on center.


There have been no changes made to the structure of the main block since the 99 CAP.

Some repairs were made to the floor structure under the entry hallway of the ell in 2002.

Current Conditions

We have not observed any visual signs of substantial structural distress in the building. The relocation of the library shelving from the what is now the first floor banking room to northeast room (original kitchen) imposed new loads on the floor structure of that room. The framing for the kitchen floor is quite heavy with further supported by two lally columns in the cellar, and there are no signs that the book shelf loading is causing any problems.

The 99 CAP noted some deterioration and insect damage to floor framing in the northeast corner of the cellar. This damage appear to be quite old and has not changed since the 99 CAP.

As discussed above, various patch lines and cracks exist in the plaster ceilings on the north side of the building (especially the third floor). These all relate to the long past removals of former partitions, and do not appear to have changed substantially since the 99 CAP. The third floor ceiling plaster does not appear to have been patched or painted for many years, perhaps not since the partitions were removed.

The floor loading from storage in the attic and third floor does not appear to have changed substantially since the 99 CAP. We continue to stress that care be taken in the placement of collections storage materi-als on the third floor; locate heavy objects (books, papers, photographs, dense stacks of fabrics, stacks of furniture case pieces) around the perimeter of the spaces and limit objects stored in the middle of rooms to relatively light materials.

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The framing in the ell is entirely concealed, as it is constructed over an inaccessible crawl space, and the attic above the second floor is also not readily accessible.


• Usecareintheplacementofcollectionsstoragematerialsonthethirdfloor;locateheavyobjects(books,papers,photographs,densestacksoffabrics,stacksoffurniturecasepieces)aroundtheperimeterofthespacesandlimitobjectsstoredinthemiddleofroomstorelativelylightmaterials.***(M)

• Preparemeasuredplansoftheatticandthirdfloorstructuralframingtobetterun-derstandhowtheloadsarecarriedintheseareasaswellastheirpastchanges.*(P)

INTERIOR FINISHES (Fig. 70-73)

The interior of the main block includes period rooms on the south side of the central stair hall used to display various Society collections, a single large open room on the north side of the second floor used for changing exhibits and meetings on the second floor, on the first floor north side an exhibit on the use of the front room as a bank from 1802-1868, and a library in the rear northeast room that was originally the kitchen. All rooms on the third floor are used for collections storage. A grand Georgian style front and rear staircase occupies the center hallway.

Although some original woodwork has been lost or is reconstructed, a substantial amount of original 18th century woodwork remains throughout the main block including the front and rear staircases and the first and second floor southwest rooms other than the fireplace surrounds. Woodwork in the south side dining room (northwest room) is largely reconstructed, and the wall paneling in the second floor meeting room is all modern. Finishes on the north side of the first floor include both original woodwork and some ele-ments from alterations during the banking period. Two vaults (one a granite vault in the basement) remain from the bank usage on the north side. The vault off the dining room was installed by the Society in 1958. The woodwork at the third floor is simpler but mostly original.

The interior of the ell is largely modern, but some mid-19th century trim remains on window and door frames, and there are several second floor doors with Victorian period grain painting. No woodwork ap-pears to remain from the original ca. 1802 construction of the ell. Some remodeling was done in 2002-3 to converttheellfromanapartusagetoSocietyofficespace.

Floors (Fig. 72, 73)Floors throughout most of the house are wide pine boards of varying age. In the rooms on the south side of the first and second floor, the pine floors have been stripped of paint and varnished. Most floors on the third floor remain painted. The first floor north side banking room has a new painted pine floor laid over the remains of the original pine floor (much of the original floor has been replaced). This was done to preserve the evidence of early usage in the remaining original flooring. The front parlor chamber has a Victorian period wood strip patterned border to set off a carpet in the center (the carpet is not present). The wood flooring in the second floor north room and the first floor northeast room is covered with wall-to-wall carpeting. The pine flooring on the first and second floor is pock marked from the impact of high heel shoes, but is otherwise serviceable.



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The most historically significant flooring in the building is the mid-19th century linoleum preserved in the first floor stairhall. Large, intact areas of such flooring preserved in situ are extremely rare. Most of this is now covered by a loose laid modern carpet to protect it from wear. A fragment of an earlier linoleum is also present on the floor of a second floor closet.


• TheconditionofthecenterhallperiodlinoleumwasreviewedandthencleanedbyConservatorMarylou Davis.

• In2001moderncarpetwasremovedfromthebankingroomfloortoexaminethefloorforevi-dence of the banking use. A new painted wood floor was then laid over the floor to preserve the surviving evidence in situ in conjunction with installing the banking exhibit.

Current Conditions

The floors having clear varnished finishes have sizable areas of wear down to bare wood, except the southwest 2nd floor room which remains in good condition. While wide pine floors with clear finishes are attractive to modern taste, they would have been either painted or carpeted in their early usage (wall to wall Wilton or ingrain carpeting, or painted floor cloths - not orientals). Where modern wall to wall carpeting is present, the carpets remain serviceable.

In the banking room the knots of the new flooring are showing through the paint, and would benefit from an additional coat of finish paint.

Treatment Recommendations• Prepareandrevarnishthefloorshavingclearfinishes.Alternatively,theycouldbe

paintedorcoveredwithperiodappropriatecarpeting.**• Repaintthebankingroomfloortoprovidebettercoverovertheknots.*

• Continuetotakespecialcaretopreservetheearlylinoleuminthecenterhall.***(M)

Plaster walls and ceilings (Fig. 70, 71)

The plaster walls throughout the main block are largely original or early. The ceilings appear to be original except in the second floor meeting room and parlor chamber (southwest chamber) where they are modern. The wall between the banking room and the northeast room (kitchen) dates to the banking period. The original plaster ceilings and walls warrant careful preservation as significant historic fabric. Their condition is generally serviceable. Areas of minor surface roughness and some minor cracking are to be expected in a property of this age and are not considered major problems. Some dampstaining and cracking from past leaks, as well the former placement of partitions, is visible on the third floor. These ceilings have not been painted for many years making evaluation of the age of the dampstaining not possible. The ceiling in the parlor chamber has been skim coated with a swirling pattern that is not historically correct, but is not read-ily noticeable. The textured plaster finish on ceiling in the 2nd floor meeting room is also 20th century.


• Theplasterceilingofthebankingroomwaspatchedandrepaintedinconjunctionwiththeinstal-lation of the banking exhibit.

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Treatment Recommendations• Repairplasterdamageatthirdfloornorthroomfireplacesafterchimneyshavebeen

repaired.*

Wallpapers

There are no period wallpapers present in the house. Two rooms have rather bland reproduction ‘period’ wallpapers; the remainder of the plaster walls are painted.

The two ‘period’ wallpapers are in serviceable condition, but do not contribute positively to the interpreta-tion of the rooms as period settings. If the rooms are reinterpreted these papers should be replaced with wall treatments that fit the new interpretation.


• Somelate19th/early20thcenturywallpaperswereuncoveredonthewestwallofthebankingroom during preparations for the new exhibit. Samples were placed in the BHS archives.

Paint (Fig. 49-53)

All interior architectural woodwork in the main house is painted.

Some of the interior woodwork at the front and side entry was stripped of all paint in 1984 and repainted in the 90s. Apparently no paint analysis was done in 1984 to document the color sequences of the paint layers that were removed. The complete removal of all paint from historic substrates is not generally rec-ommended,asitmakesfutureresearchforrestorationandreinterpretationverydifficult.Whencompleteremoval is necessary for valid reasons (i.e., existing paint adhesion is so poor that repainting will fail), size-able areas of fully intact paint layers should be left in situ for future research as well as carrying out profes-sional paint research to document historic treatments prior to removal. It is not known whether paint has been removed from other historic woodwork in other areas as a part of earlier efforts by the Society to refurbish or restore interior spaces.


• Thebankingroomwasrepaintedin2002inconjunctionwithsettingupthebankingroomexhibit.Paint analysis was carried out by this author to identify treatments when the room was occupied by the Beverly National Bank, as well as to clarify past changes and missing features in the space. The woodwork color is based on the paint treatment during the 1834-68 banking period.

• Thefirstandsecondfloorsofthecenterhallwererepaintedin2002-3.Thestairstothethirdfloorwere not done. Paint analysis was not done.

Current Conditions

The condition of the paint varies from sound and clean in rooms that have been repainted within recent years, to moderately worn and dingy in spaces that have been left alone for many years such as the third floor rooms. Some windows exhibit more extensive paint failure on the sash muntins due to condensation. Color treatments are generally period appropriate off-whites, blues, blue-greens, and deep yellows, but do



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not appear to be based on any systematic professional paint analysis of existing woodwork (except in the banking room). 19th century grain painting (faux curly maple) remains exposed on two doors in the small office in the second floor of the ell that is accessed from the main block. This grain painting should not be painted over and should be preserved as is. Its presence suggests that similar graining may be present below more recent paint on other doors in the house.

Repainting should be carried out as needed to maintain the internal cosmetic appearance of the wood-work. However, frequent repainting to change decorative schemes should be avoided to prevent excessive paint buildup on molded details that would obscure the character of the woodwork. Professional paint analysis to better document the historic treatments of the house and understand its architectural develop-ment, and serve as a basis for reinterpretation of period rooms would be desirable, but is a low priority relative to other more immediate needs and limited financial resources.


• Repaintwoodworkasneededtomaintaintheinternalcosmeticappearanceofthehouse.**(M)

• Prepareandspotrepaintsashmuntinshavingloosepaintfromcondensationtomatchadjacentsurfaces.**(M)

• Considerdoingprofessionalpaintanalysistobetterdocumentthehistorictreatmentsofthehouseandunderstanditsarchitecturaldevelopment,andserveasabasisforpossiblefuturereinterpretationofperiodrooms.*(P)

HEATING – HVAC – DAMPNESS (Fig. 74-78, 81, 86-92)

The building is heated with forced hot water in cast iron radiators utilizing two reasonably modern gas fired furnaces (one for the main block and the other for the ell) that were in place during the 99 CAP. It was previously heated with a 19th century hot air system that has been dismantled, as there are some interesting 19th century grates still present in some rooms. There is no air conditioning or centralized humidity con-trol. Domestic dehumidifiers are used in the basement by the Walker Collection with the condensate being deposited into existing floor drains by plastic hoses. It is not known where the drains lead to. Ventilation in warm weather is provided by opening windows in the meeting and office spaces. Air conditioners are installed in the windows of some rooms used as offices during the summer. There has not been any moni-toring or systematic recording of temperature and humidity levels in the building by the Society.

Staff indicate that there are not currently any seepage problems in the basement.

The bank storage vault in the basement (accessed only from the floor of the banking room above) appears to be a very damp space with a chronically musty smell. It is currently interpreted as part of the exhibit in the banking space, although the limited and awkward access to the vault interior limit its interpretation and visibility.


• Theinstallationofanenclosedsecondegressstairatthelocationoftheformercellarbulkheadeliminated the past seepage problems into the basement at the southeast corner.



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Current Conditions

The current heating system appears to be performing adequately. Comfort levels for staff during the sum-mer are somewhat alleviated by installing air conditioning units in some windows, but remain as a staff concern. A past Director proposed installing central air conditioning as he did in the Hale house, but it was never carried out.

The presence of numerous heating and plumbing pipes throughout the portions of the basement used by the Walker Collection remains a substantial concern due to the risk of leaking pipes. The pipes are located both overhead, and behind the exhibit walls. Many of these pipes also have insulation that may contain hazardous materials.

We carried out very limited temperature and humidity monitoring in representative spaces as a compo-nent of this CAP survey using three HOBO 12 data loggers by Onset Computer. From 9/29/11 to 11/12/11, monitors were placed in the Walker Collection in the cellar, in the first floor southwest parlor, and in the third floor southwest room. A second set of data was collected from 11/12/11 to 1/26/12 with the loggers placed in main archive vault, the first floor northeast room (library), and in the attic. Unfortunately, this was too late in the year to record how the building responded to the typical high relative humidity and temperatures of summer.

The graphs of the data from the loggers are attached as fig. 86 - 92.

During most of the fall period the RH in the first floor southwest parlor remained mostly between 45% and 60% with 24-48 hour swings being mostly 10% or less. The RH was higher during the first week of the deployment, ranging from 60% to 70%. As this was a period of almost continuous high exterior RH (although the temperatures were no more than the low 70s), this is suggests that mid summer interior RH is probably also in this range or higher.

The third floor room RH was more stable staying mostly between 50% and 57% except a few dips to 48% and the first week being about 60%. This stability is due to the door to the center hall being closed most of the time, no windows being open, and the fireplace flue closed.

The RH in the Walker Collection was generally higher for much of the period. During the first week it stayed between 65% and 68%, and was mostly between 59% and 65% until October 22. Thereafter it stayed mostly between 48% and 60%. 24-48 hour swings were usually within 8%. We believe a dehumidifier was being run throughout the logging period.

While RH range during most of this period was reasonable for a house museum, the higher levels during the first week of the deployment suggest that summertime levels may be high enough for sustained periods to support mold growth on collections materials. While over 70% is considered to be a threshold level for mold growth, it can still occur at levels between 60% and 70%. We would be especially concerned with the materials in the Walker Collection.

The RH data for the second collection period during the early winter are quite revealing. As we suspected it might be, the RH in the archive vault was quite stable, staying between abut 50% and 54% until 12/12,



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and then gradually declining to between 40% and 45% in the last weeks of the period. 24-48 hour swings were less than 5%. unfortunately we do not have any readings from the summer period, so we do not know if it rises into or above the 60%-70% range.

The data for the library room demonstrate the impact of winter heating practices on the RH. While the RH ranged from about 40% to 52% for the first few weeks, it dropped down to swings between 22% and 35% during the last few weeks. As a result of thermostat setbacks to the lower 60s F at night and over week-end closings, there are numerous 24-48 hour swings in the RH of about 15%. At the weekend setbacks, the initial change in RH is gradual, but rapidly declines with the temperature increase to 70F when the building reopens on Tuesdays. The data also demonstrates that the RH drops to the 20%-25% range when the building is heated to 70F during cold winter weather, but only drops to the 30% range when the heat remains set in the low 60s F for several days (except when the whether is very cold, in which case the RH still drops to the low 20s). As the weather during the recording period was warmer than most winters with few periods of very cold weather, the RH during more normal winters is likely to remain in the 20%-25% range for longer periods when the building is heated to 70 F. The data also demonstrates that the RH can be kept mostly in the 30%-35% range in spaces where the heat is kept low (probably about 50 F) on a 24/7 basis, and shows the negative impact of nightime/weekend setbacks RH swings. Substantial rapid changes in RH can be harmful to many collections materials.

The conditions recorded in the attic during this period demonstrate that this space is extremely unsuit-able for storage of most collections items. While most of the items in the attic are non-collection materials including some Society records, there are a few collections items including an upholstered sleigh could be harmed by the current conditions. The RH ranged mostly between 60% and 70% from the start of the period until January 1. Thereafter it drops down to mostly between 55% and 65%, but with occasional brief peaks of about 75%. There are a number of rapid swings of 15% -20% within a 24 hour period. The temperature ranges from the 50s F in the first few weeks to the 40s F towards the end of the period, with a few low points in the low thirties. As the attic floor is insulated, and there is a small open roof vent for ventilation, both the RH and the temperatures are directly affected by exterior conditions. We suspect that summertime conditions include high temperatures and high RH. Fortunately, the insulation in the attic floor mitigates the impact of the unfavorable attic conditions on collections storage rooms on the third floor below.

Staffreportthatsummertimetemperaturelevelsatthetopofthestairhallwhereanofficeforcollectionsmanagement is located become uncomfortably high, in part through the warm air in the spaces below ris-ing. Installation of a thermostatically controlled “whole house exhaust fan” in the roof of the attic in place of the current vent would help to reduce the summertime temperature of the attic and the upper stair hall without resorting to air conditioning. To have maximum effect on the stair hall, the door to the attic would need to be kept open. Better yet, the door could remain closed and locked if the unglazed window next to the door is fitted with a screen along with a hinged cover to close it off in the winter.

A paper by the staff of Historic New England summarizing a recent conference they held on dampness/HVAC issues in their house museums is attached in the report Appendix.

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• Install of a thermostatically controlled “whole house exhaust fan” in the roof of the attic in place of the current vent would help to reduce the summertime tem-perature of the attic and the upper stair hall.***

• Purchaseandrundataloggerstorecordtemperatureandrelativehumidityforat least a full year on all floors of the house and the archival storage areas before making any major changes to the HVAC systems such as installing central air con-ditioning.*** (P)

PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL, AND SECURITY SYSTEMS (Fig. 76)

The active plumbing serving the museum portion of the building (other than the heating system) is con-fined to the ell adjacent to the main block. This consists of a small galley kitchen on the first floor and a single bathroom on the second floor. This is adequate for current staff needs and the limited cookie and tea receptions held by the museum. However, the bathroom does not meet universal access requirements, and the facilities would be completely inadequate for most catered events or function rentals.

The electrical system is served off a modern panel box with circuit breakers located in the Walker Collec-tion room in the cellar. Based on the wiring visible at the panel box it is a combination of modern romex cable and BX shielded cable of unknown age. As stated in the 99 CAP, it would be prudent to have a quali-fied electrician check the condition and type of wiring present at various fixtures throughout the house to determine if the BX cable remains safe, and if there are any other types of potentially unsafe wiring in active use.

While some emergency lighting was observed in the stair hall and meeting room, lighted exit signs and other fire/exit code measures were not present except at the new cellar egress. This lack presents substan-tial liability issues for the Society, particularly if the interior of the house is used for rental functions. The Society should retain a qualified code consultant to review and advise on such Code issues.

The addition of second egress stair to the cellar and proper handrails on the main cellar stairs are substan-tial improvements that correct some problems noted in the 99 CAP.

The Cabot House does have a hard wired security and fire alarm system. As noted in the section above, several water sensors on the basement floor should be added to the system.


The following items correct significant safety issues noted in the 99 CAP:

• Theinstallationofanenclosedsecondegressstairatthelocationoftheformercellarbulkhead.• Theadditionofhandrailstothemaincellarstair.


• Installbatteryoperatedemergencylightingandlightedexistsignsasrequiredtomeetcurrentlifesafetycodes.***

• Addwatersensoralarmsonthebasementfloortothecurrentalarmsystemtodetectanyleaksfromplumbingpipesasearlyaspossible.***

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• RetainaqualifiedelectriciantochecktheconditionandtypeofwiringpresentatvariousfixturesthroughoutthehousetodetermineiftheBXcableremainssafe,andifthereareanyothertypesofpotentiallyunsafewiringinactiveuse.**(P)

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS (Fig. 76-78)

As noted in the 99 CAP, insulation materials that may contain hazardous substances were observed on numerous pipes throughout the basement including the sections used by the Walker Collection. Some of this material on pipes is hidden behind the display partitions installed by the Walker Collection to cover the exterior walls. On some pipes the insulation appears to be more recent fiberglass. As we are not qualified to evaluate hazardous materials, a qualified hazardous materials consultant should be retained by the Society to identify, evaluate and specify appropriate abatement procedures.

Extreme care should be exercised in carrying out any abatement procedures in the basement to make sure that the historical materials stored there are removed or properly protected in conjunction with abatement.


We are not aware of any measures being taken in regards to potential hazardous materials since the 99 CAP.


• Retainaqualifiedhazardousmaterialsconsultanttoidentify,evaluateandspecifyappropriateabatementproceduresforanyhazardmaterialsintheplumbingpipeinsulation.**(P)

UNIVERSAL ACCESS ISSUES (Fig. 40, 41, 85)

As is noted in the 99 CAP, the first floor of the Cabot House is currently accessible via an exterior wheel-chair ramp to the rear entrance. The basement and upper stories are not accessible. As the only bathroom serving the museum section is on the second floor, the bathroom is not accessible. The ramp was installed as part of the Massachusetts Historical Commission funded grant work in 1984, and only provides rudi-mentary access with the entry path through the ell entry hall being tight and awkward for a wheelchair occupant. Door openings on the first floor all substantially exceed 32”, the minimum acceptable dimension. There are no provisions for programmatic access to the exhibits on the second floor or to the Walker Col-lection in the basement (i.e., videotapes or other photographic displays on the first floor). In general there are no provisions to meet the current Universal Access/ADA standards beyond the basic exterior wheel chair ramp to the first floor.

Access to the second floor is not possible without an elevator. An elevator cannot be located within the main block of the house without significantly affecting important historic fabric. In our opinion the only feasible location would be in the ell. Assuming it was located immediately to the east of the current muse-um entry space, the crawlspace of the ell could be dug out to also provide access to basement. An elevator would impact the roofline of the ell, and this along with other details would require considerable further study to determine realistic feasibility and costs, which would be substantial.



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Provision of an accessible bathroom would also require expansion into the ell, either by installing a new bathroom on the first floor (and changing the floor level to match the entry), or enlarging or relocating the second floor bathroom along with installing an elevator. Note that the lack of an accessible bathroom may impact any potential use of the house or grounds for rental functions.

The current exterior ramp continues to suffers from a lack of cosmetic maintenance. The lattice that screens its underside is both unpainted is literally falling apart, despite the replacement of one section since the 99 CAP. The iron work still requires painting and is showing areas of rust. The wood deck of the ramp is aging with some splitting and checking of the boards, and rusting of nails. The asphalt paving at the base of the ramp has settled in one section in a way that could be a hazard for a wheel chair.

There is a small but deep area of gouged out wood in the center of the threshold at the entry from the ell to the main block center hall. It presents a tripping hazard, especially for persons wearing high heels, and should be filled in with a wood Dutchman insert.

Resolution of the Universal Access issues at the Cabot House continues to be a thorny problem that can only be accomplished as a component of long term planning for the use of the ell and basement. Modest improvements can be made by developing programmatic access to the walker Collection and the second floor exhibits.


No significant work has been done in regards to universal access issues since the 99 CAP other than the replacement of one 8’ section of lattice at the access ramp, and adding a strip of wood at the threshold of the entry from the ell to the main block to slightly reduce its excessive height.

Treatment Recommendations• Preparematerialsfordisplayonthefirstfloortoprovideprogrammaticaccesstothe

WalkerCollectionandthesecondfloor.**(P)• Makerepairstotheexteriorrampaslistedinthesectiononsitefeatures.**

• FillinthedeepgougeinthecenterofthethresholdatthedoorwayfromtheelltothemanblockcenterhallwithawoodDutchmaninsert.***(M)

BASEMENT ISSUES

The 99 CAP listed a number of issues of concern that were specific to the basement. Of the issues cited, the following remain as concerns.

• Numerousplumbingandheatingpipes throughout the spaces including some that aredirectlyoverarchival collections materials. As discussed in the 99 Mussey CAP report, this places the archival mate-rials at substantial risk for water damage.

• Materialsthatmaycontainhazardoussubstancesonmanyplumbingandheatingpipesinspacesregu-larly used by members of the Society and the Walker Collection.

• Chronic dampness relative to archivalmaterials and collections storage, reportedly adequately con-trolled by running dehumidifiers much of the time. A data logger run from 9/29/11 to 11/12/11 indi-cated the RH was acceptable for most of the time accept the first week when it ranged from 65% - 70%. It is believed that a dehumidifier was running during this period.

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• Floordrainswherethedispositionofdrainageisunknown;thedrainscurrentreceivecondensatefromthe dehumidifiers without any evident problems.

• Partitions installedby theWalkerCollectionabout1’ inside theperimeterof thebasement exteriorwalls backed with fiberglass insulation conceal the condition of heating pipes that run at both floor and ceiling level and complicate access to other utilities. Minor defects to pipes behind these partitions would go unnoticed until they developed into major leaks, and finding the location of problems is fur-ther complicated by the partitions.

• TheBeverlyNationalBankcellarvaultisinherentlydampwithafloorthatisseveralfeetbelowtherestof the basement and very awkward, potentially unsafe, access. The space is historically very interesting and rare, but difficult to display. It is shown as part of the bank room exhibit by lifting the floor hatch and allowing visitors to look down into it.

Another issue mentioned in the 99 CAP was the tendency by the Walker Collection to expand into sec-tions of the basement used by the Society, and to carry out improvements on an Ad Hoc basis. At this writing (2012), the entire basement is now used by the Walker Collection. The newspapers formally stored in the northwest cellar room have been relocated to the archival vault and 2nd floor closets.


• Theclutteraroundthefurnaceshasbeenhasbeencleanedup• Asecondegresshasbeenprovidedatthelocationoftheformerbulkhead.• Handrailshavebeenaddedtothemaincellarstair.


Thetreatmentrecommendationsforthemostcriticaloftheabovelistofconcernsarepro-videdinprevioussectionsoftisreport.

LONG TERM PLANNING ISSUES IN THE 99 CAP

The 99 CAP discussed a number of issues related to long term planning for the Society. These included:

• Expansionintotheell(whichthencontainedarentalapartment)forbothstaffuseandexpandingexisting archival storage space with climate control and reduced risk of catastrophic damage from accidents with utilities.

• ConformancetoUniversalAccessandegresscodestandards.

• RelocationoftheWalkerCollectionfromthebasementtotheellorpossiblytoanotherbuildingoutside the Society.

• Interpretingthe19thcenturyuseofthenorthsideofthehousebytheBeverlyNationalBank.

• ThepossibilityofexhibitingmarinerelatedcollectionsinaspaceontheBeverlywaterfrontinconjunction with new development activity and/or a replica of the ship Hannah.



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• TheSocietyrelocatedmostofitsofficespaceintoellandeliminatedtheapartmentusage,buthasnot expanded the archival storage.

• ReinterpretationofthenorthwestroomtoitsusagebytheBeverlyNationalBankfrom1802-1868(included moving the library stacks into the northeast room).

• Theconceptofexhibiting marine related collections in a new space on the Beverly waterfront was abandoned.

ADDITIONAL PLANNING ISSUES &86 COLLECTIONS STORAGE (Fig. 81, 82-84)

The Society has never compiled an Historic Structure Report (HSR) for the Cabot House. An HSR usually includes a detailed account of the architectural development and changes of the property as well as a social history (i.e., the occupants and their significance to house and the community). Typically an HSR includes a room by room inventory of the architectural components of each room or space including their approxi-mate date of installation. In many cases paint analysis is done as an aid to dating features. An HSR often includes recommendations for potential interpretation and usage of spaces based on the significance and integrity of their fabric and historical associations. In many cases an HSR evaluates physical conditions and the feasibility of desired changes and/or restoration. The function of an HSR is to pull together all the known information on the history of the property in a single document, and to serve as a guide for manag-ing its future use including planning for appropriate changes.

There are no complete measured drawings of the house such as floor plans, sections, structural framing plans, and exterior elevations. Measured drawings are useful planning tools, and necessary if major chang-es are made to the ell. They are often done as a component of an HSR, but should be done as a separate project.

The only room where professional paint analysis has been done is the banking room. Paint analysis in the other principal spaces would provide a better understanding of history of the spaces as well as serving as basis for repainting rooms to accurately reflect their history rather than simply using “period appropriate” treatments.

Potential exterior restoration items for the main block of the Cabot House include the window shutters, and the rooftop balustrade. Both of these items were still in place when the HABS photo was taken in 1940. That photo has very high resolution and would provide adequate evidence to recreate these items. The shutters were probably initially installed as part of the 1834 Burley renovations that constructed the current Greek Revival style entry porches. The Balustrade was probably original to 1781. Restoration of these items is not a high priority and is clearly beyond the current financial reach of the Society, but deserve consideration as “wish list” items in long range planning.

As discussed in the sections above, further alterations to the ell should be considered, possibly including an addition, to provide increased quality archival storage, expand the available space for non-archival collec-tions storage and/or the Walker collection, and possibly provide universal access to the second floor. One way to expand the archival storage without construction of an addition would be to extend the current vault



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further into the ell using similar masonry construction for its walls and ceiling. This would require major changes to the configuration of current “kitchen” and rear office, but would centralize the most important archival storage within a single space.

Considerable progress has been made since the 99 CAP in organizing and cataloguing collections materials stored on the third floor. Most recently, the third floor center front room was properly set up with storage racks for framed prints and paintings. Progress has also been made in deaccessioning objects that are not relevant to the Society. However, the third floor collections storage rooms are still so overwhelmed with the vast quantity of objects in them that access for proper care and routine cleaning remains difficult. We found it difficult to get to the fireplaces in the third floor north room to check for leaks, and found plaster that had fallen from the ceilings above them years ago was still on the floor. Temporarily closing off the second floor meeting room so it can be used to sort items and provide short term storage is worth considering as a way to temporarily clear out sections of the third floor rooms to reorganize them. Focusing deaccession-ing on large items that are not relevant to the Society would also help reduce the clutter. Off-site rental storage to house some objects is another possibility to consider.


• Focuslongtermplanningonthepotentialuseoftheellandpossiblyanad-ditiontoittoprovideadditionalspaceforarchivalandregularcollectionsstorageand/ordisplay,andpotentiallyresolveUniversalAccessissues.**(P)


• ConsiderpreparingaanHistoricStructureReporttopulltogetheralltheknownin-formationonthehistoryofthepropertyinasingledocument,andtoserveasaguideformanagingitsfutureuseincludingplanningforappropriatechanges.**(P)

• Preparemeasuredfloorplansandframingplansofthebuilding.**(P)

• Restorethemissingshutterstothehousetomoreaccuratelydisplayitsnineteenthcenturyappearance.*

• Restorethemissingbalustradetotheroofofthehousetomoreaccuratelydisplayitshistoricappearance.*

• Aggressivelyreorganizethecollectionsstorageinthethirdfloorroomstofacilitateac-cesstoallowbothroutinecleaningandbetteraccesstothecollectionsitems.***(P,M)



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SUMMARY OF CABOT HOUSE WORK DONE SINCE THE 1999 CAP

Roofing work since the 1999 CAP

• Replacementofdefective/missingslates• Additionofsnowguardstothelowercoursesofslate(notlistedinthe99CAPbutaprudentstep

to minimize snow sliding off the roof - this included rehanging the entire lower 4’ of slate over a new Ice and Watershield membrane underlayment and a new copper drip edge.).

• Reroofingupperpitchroofwithcompositionshingles(thereisnorecordthattheroofsubstratewas examined for evidence of the original roofing material and placement of past balustrade posts).

• Replacementoftheskylightwithamodernunit• Replacementofhipflashingswith16oz.copperflashings• Partialreplacementofchimneyflashings• Paintingofwoodmoldingsatthechangeinpitchbetweentheupperandlowerroofs• Repairandrehangingofthecopperguttersonthefrontandbackpitches(seesectionbelow).• Rehangingofgutters,probablyreusingtheexistinghangers,andreplacementofdownspouts.• Thewoodgutterontherear(north)facadeoftheellwasreplacedwithamatchingwoodgutter.

Masonry work since the 1999 CAP

• Noworkhasbeendonesincethe99CAP

Exterior carpentry work since the 1999 CAP

• Replacementofsectionsofthewoodcrownmoldingandmuchofthefasciaatthecornicebelowthe lower roof. Sections replaced include the entire north side, and half of the rear and south sides. The original crown molding remains on the front and the remainder of the south and rear sides. (repair of short defective sections rather than complete replacement was discussed in the 99 CAP).

• Repairoffrontentrycolumnbasesandshaftsplits,mostlybyfillingcrackswithsealant.• Theconstructionofasecondegressforthemainblockcellarbyaddingontothesouthsideofthe

one story section along the south side of the ell. The exterior detailing of the addition matches the adjacent ell.

• Replacementofan8’sectionofdeterioratedlatticeatthebaseofthehandicappedramp.

Window work since the 1999 CAP

• Theexteriorofthemainblockwindowswerepaintedin2006alongwithrecaulkingthejointbetween the frames and the brick. The White painting proposal stipulates that the sash covered by storm windows would not be painted. Therefore it is uncertain whether the sash were repainted and glazed at that time, although they generally appear to look to be in good condition.

• UVscreeningfilmwasappliedtotheglasspanesintheroomshousingexhibits.Theapplicationwas done by BHS staff.

Exterior painting work since the 1999 CAP

• Themainblockwasrepaintedin2006aspartofthegeneralcontractthatalsorepairedtheroof.The work included recualking all window frames at their junction with the masonry head nand jambs. According to the General Contractor’s proposal, the painting including spot priming and



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a single coat of oil finish paint, but did not include the removal of storm windows and painting of the sash and woodwork that is covered by them. The work was done by White Painting of Beverly.

• Theellwasrepaintedin2002.Thereisnorecordonthetypeofpaintused.

Site and Landscape feature work since the 1999 CAP

• Damagetothefrontsectionofthecastironfencewasdealtwithbymovingtherearmostsectionof the south side fence to replace the damaged front section.

• Paintingofthegazebowascompletedin1999.

Interior structural work since the 1999 CAP

• Somerepairsweremadetothefloorstructureundertheentryhallwayoftheellin2002.

Interior finishes work since the 1999 CAP

• TheconditionofthecenterhallperiodlinoleumwasreviewedandthencleanedbyConservatorMarylou Davis.

• In2001moderncarpetwasremovedfromthebankingroomfloortoexaminethefloorforevi-dence of the banking use. A new painted wood floor was then laid over the floor to preserve the surviving evidence in situ in conjunction with installing the banking exhibit.

• Thebankingroomwoodworkandplasterwallswererepaintedin2002basedonpaintanalysisofthe woodwork, and its plaster ceiling was repaired and painted.

• The1stand2ndfloorsofthecenterhallwaywererepainted2002-3.

HVAC and dampness control work since the 1999 CAP

• Theinstallationofanenclosedsecondegressstairatthelocationoftheformercellarbulkheadeliminated the past seepage problems into the basement at the southeast corner.

Plumbing, electrical, security, and egress work since the 1999 CAP

• Theinstallationofanenclosedsecondegressstairatthelocationoftheformercellarbulkheadwith code compliant egress lighting and exit sign.

• Theadditionofhandrailstothemaincellarstair.

Hazardous materials work since the 1999 CAP


Universal Access work since the 1999 CAP


Work on other issues since the 1999 CAP

• Theclutteraroundthefurnaceshasbeenhasbeencleanedup• TheSocietyrelocatedmostofitsofficespaceintoellandeliminatedtheapartmentusage,buthas

not expanded the archival storage.

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• ReinterpretationofthenorthwestroomtoitsusagebytheBeverlyNationalBankfrom1802-1868(included moving the library stacks into the northeast room).

• Theconceptofexhibiting marine related collections in a new space on the Beverly waterfront was abandoned.

• Considerableprogresshasbeenmadecataloguing,organizing,anddeassesionaingnon-Beverlycollections materials, but much remains to be done.



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SUMMARY OF CURRENT TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

ROOF - MAIN BLOCK• Replacemissing,loose,andbrokenslates.***(M)

GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS - MAIN BLOCK

• Monitorfrontandrearguttersduringheavyraintodetermineifandwherewateroverflowsthegutter,andthenhavesectionsrehungasneededtocorrectoverflowproblems.***(M)

ROOFING - ELL

• Planforthereplacementoftheupperwoodshingleroofandthecopperroofontherearbaytobedonewithin5years.Newroofingshouldberedcedar“perfection”gradeshingles.Anoptionwouldbeto“tapersawn”redcedarshingles,whichhaveslightlythickerbuttsandmaylastlonger.(***P)

GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS - ELL

• Checktheconditionofthesplitinthesouthpitchgutternearthecenterdownspoutthenexttimethegutteriscleaned.(***M)

• Applya50/50linseedoil/turpentinesolutiontotheinteriorofthewoodgutterseverytwoyears.(***M)

• Cleanoutleavesfromgutters3-4timesayear.(***M)

MAIN BLOCK ENTRY PORCH ROOFS AND GUTTERS

• Replacethesouthentryporticoroofwithnewflatseam20oz.copper,relatedflash-ings,anddownspouts.***

• Replacethefrontentryporticoroofwithnewflatseam20oz.copperandrelatedflashings,ideallyatthesametimethesouthporticoroofisreplaced.***

CHIMNEYS

Partiallyrebuildandrepointallthreechimneysusingamortarmixof1:2:7Portlandcement:lime:sand,byvolume)orNHL5NaturalHydraulicCementbyVirginaLimeworks(1:21/2):

• SouthChimney:100%cutandrepointalljointsandatminimumrebuildthetop6-10courses;rebuildingdowntotherooflinemayprovenecessary.***

• Easterlynorthchimney:100%cutandrepointalljointsandrebuildthetop12courses***

• Westerlynorthchimney:Cutandrepointalldefectivejointsonaspotbasis***



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• Atallthreechimneys,replaceallflashingsthatwerenotreplacedin2006,includingoldbaseflashingsunderthe2006capflashingsonthesidesofthechimneys.Newflashingsshouldbe20ozcopper.***

• Replaceconcretechimneycapswithnew200z.copperchimneycapshavingventila-torsovereachflue(refertoFig.27&287fordetails).***

EXTERIOR MASONRY

• Atthebeltcoursesabovethenorthsidedoorandwindow,cutoutallmortarinthejointthatreceivestheleadflashings,andeitherrepointthejointwithmortarorfillitwithahighgradepolyurethaneorpolysulfidesealant(notamodifiedlatexseal-ant).***

• Attheregletsforrooflashingatthefrontandsouthentryporticos,cleanoutallreg-letstoreceivenewflashings,pointingtheregletswithmortarorsealant.***

• Attheotherbeltcoursescutandrepointanydefectiveflashingregletsonaspotbasis(mostofthejointsappeartoremainsound)**

• Retaintheleadflashingsonthebeltcoursesinplacedespiteminordefects.***(M)

WOOD TRIM AT MAIN BLOCK

• Redorepairstothecolumnshaftsandbasesusingsoundconservationcarpentrymethodsratherthanfillingopenareaswithsealants.Thismayrequiretemporaryremovalofthecolumnshaftsandaccurateduplicationofturnedcolumnbases.**

CLAPBOARDS AND WOOD TRIM AT ELL

• Replacelatticeathandicappedramp.**• Planforreplacementofthewooddeckingoftherampwithin5years.**(P)

WINDOW SASH AND FRAMES

• Attheellreglazeallthewindowsinconjunctionwithrepainting.***• Atthemainblockreglazeandrepairbrokenexteriormuntinsatthenortherly2nd

floorfrontfacadewindow.**• Thewoodlintelattheheadofthenortherlyfirstfloorwindowontherearfacadehas

comelooseandneedstobenailedinplaceandrecaulked.***(M)• Atallwindowscleantheinteriorsurfacesofsashandframestoremovedustaspart

ofroutinehousecleaning.**(M)• Prepareandspotrepaintsashmuntinshavingloosepaintfromcondensationto

matchadjacentsurfaces.**• Repairbrokenropesandmakealllowerwindowsashoperable.**(M)



Page 37

EXTERIOR PAINT

• Prepareandrepaintallexteriorclapboardsandtrimattheellwithinthenext2years.Theworkistoincludereglazingallwindowsash.***

• ATthemainblockrepaintwindowsillswherethepaintisstartingtopeelandtheentiredooratthesouthsideentry.**

SITE AND LANDSCAPE FEATURES

CastIronFence:• properlypreparebyremovingallrustandrepainttheentirefence.***• Havepropermoldsmadetorecastandreplacethemissingfinials.***• Havepropermoldsmadetofullyrecasttheprimarysectionsofthefenceandrestore

allthemissingsections.**

WoodPicketFence:• Completelyreplaceentirefencetomatchtheexistingfencewithminorchangeto

detailstoshedwaterfromhorizontalsurfaces.Userotresistantwoodspecies.***

Gazebo:• Repaintwithinthenextyear.***• Considermovingbacktoitsoriginallocationatthecenteroftheyard,placingfoun-

dationstonestoalignwiththestructuralloadsoftheposts.**

WellHouse:• Repairboardingandrepaint.***

Plantings:• Fullyrakeyardeachfalltocompletelyremoveleavesandbeachnuts.**(M)• Cleanoutbasementwindowwellseachfall**(M)• ConsiderrenewingeffortstohaveagardenCluborothervolunteersreestablish

flowerbedseitherfollowingthe1940HABSplanorotherperiodappropriateColo-nialRevivalplan**(P)

INTERIOR FRAMING

• Usecareintheplacementofcollectionsstoragematerialsonthethirdfloor;locateheavyobjects(books,papers,photographs,densestacksoffabrics,stacksoffurniturecasepieces)aroundtheperimeterofthespacesandlimitobjectsstoredinthemiddleofroomstorelativelylightmaterials.***(M)

• Preparemeasuredplansoftheatticandthirdfloorstructuralframingtobetterun-derstandhowtheloadsarecarriedintheseareasaswellastheirpastchanges.*(P)



Page 38

INTERIOR FINISHES

• Prepareandrevarnishthefloorshavingclearfinishes.Alternatively,theycouldbepaintedorcoveredwithperiodappropriatecarpeting.**

• Repaintthebankingroomfloortoprovidebettercoverovertheknots.*• Continuetotakespecialcaretopreservetheearlylinoleuminthecenterhall.***(M)• Repairplasterdamageatthirdfloornorthroomfireplacesafterchimneyshavebeen

repaired.*

• Repaintwoodworkasneededtomaintaintheinternalcosmeticappearanceofthehouse.**(M)

• Prepareandspotrepaintsashmuntinshavingloosepaintfromcondensationtomatchadjacentsurfaces.**(M)


HEATING – HVAC – DAMPNESS

• Installofathermostaticallycontrolled“wholehouseexhaustfan”intheroofoftheatticinplaceofthecurrentventwouldhelptoreducethesummertimetemperatureoftheatticandtheupperstairhall.***

• Purchaseandrundataloggerstorecordtemperatureandrelativehumidityforatleastafullyearonallfloorsofthehouseandthearchivalstorageareasbeforemak-inganymajorchangestotheHVACsystemssuchasinstallingcentralaircondition-ing.***(P)

PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL, EGRESS, AND SECURITY SYSTEMS

• Installbatteryoperatedemergencylightingandlightedexitsignsasrequiredtomeetcurrentlifesafetycodes.***

• Addwatersensoralarmsonthebasementfloortothecurrentalarmsystemtodetectanyleaksfromplumbingpipesasearlyaspossible.***

• RetainaqualifiedelectriciantochecktheconditionandtypeofwiringpresentatvariousfixturesthroughoutthehousetodetermineiftheBXcableremainssafe,andifthereareanyothertypesofpotentiallyunsafewiringinactiveuse.**(P)

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

• Retainaqualifiedhazardousmaterialsconsultanttoidentify,evaluateandspecifyappropriateabatementproceduresforanyhazardmaterialsintheplumbingpipeinsulation.**(P)



Page 39

UNIVERSAL ACCESS ISSUES

• PreparematerialsfordisplayonthefirstfloortoprovideprogrammaticaccesstotheWalkerCollectionandthesecondfloor.**(P)

• Makerepairstotheexteriorrampaslistedinthesectiononsitefeatures.**• Fillinthedeepgougeinthecenterofthethresholdatthedoorwayfromtheelltothe

manblockcenterhallwithawoodDutchmaninsert.***(M

LONG TERM PLANNING ISSUES

• Focuslongtermplanningonthepotentialuseoftheellandpossiblyanadditiontoittoprovideadditionalspaceforarchivalandregularcollectionsstorageand/ordisplay,andpotentiallyresolveUniversalAccessissues.**(P)


• ConsiderpreparingaanHistoricStructureReporttopulltogetheralltheknowninformationonthehistoryofthepropertyinasingledocument,andtoserveasaguideformanagingitsfutureuseincludingplanningforappropriatechanges.**(P)

• Preparemeasuredfloorplansandframingplansofthebuilding.**(P)• Restorethemissingshutterstothehousetomoreaccuratelydisplayitsnineteenthcenturyappear-

ance.*• Restorethemissingbalustradetotheroofofthehousetomoreaccuratelydisplayitshistoricappear-

ance.*• Aggressivelyreorganizethecollectionsstorageinthethirdfloorroomstofacilitateaccesstoallowboth

routinecleaningandbetteraccesstothecollectionsitems.***(P,M)



Page 40

Fig. 1: Front (west) and south facades of Cabot House main block.

Fig. 2: 1940 HABS photograph of Cabot House showing shutters and original roof balustrade still in place. The cast iron fence is still fully intact including sections returning to the south entry portico.



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Fig. 4: South facade of main block and ell.

Fig. 3: Detail of 1940 HABS photograph of Cabot House showing the details of roof balustrade clearly enough to be used to reconstruct the balustrade if desired in the future.



Page 42

Fig. 6: 19th century photograph showing window and door to bank room in north facade still in place.

Fig. 5: North (right) and rear facades of the main block and north facade of ell with handicapped ramp added in 1984. Former window and door openings on the first floor were blocked in with brick in the late 19th or early 20th century. Arrows point to flashings that may be the source of current leaks in the banking room. The Iron railing of the ramp is starting to rust and needs to be repainted.



Page 43

Fig. 7: South pitch of main block roof showing slate that has slipped loose and could fall the ground (arrow).

Fig. 8: South pitch of main block roof showing 3 more slates and snow guards that have slipped loose and could fall the ground (arrows).



Page 44

Fig. 9: Gutter at front facade showing uneven hanging with low spots (arrows) they may not drain properly to downspouts. Left downspout is missing below its leader.

Fig. 10: Gutter at south end of front facade showing that gutter appears to be set higher at the downspout and may not drain properly. The gutter also kicks outward at the downspout.

Fig. 11: Gutter at center of rear facade. The outer lip of the gutter appears to have been pushed downwards from sliding snow and ice. It should be monitored during heavy rain to determine if roof runoff overflows at the front lip. If it does overflow, the gutter needs to be rehung or possibly replaced. Also note that older wire snow guards remain in place on this pitch, making it unclear as to how much of the slate was rehung in 2006.



Page 45

Fig. 12: Holes in copper roof over the south entry portico due to wear of the copper. The roof needs to be replaced with a similar flat seamed copper roof using 16oz. or 20 oz. copper.

Fig. 13: Standing water in gut-ter of the front portico roof seeps through the tar patches to cause paint failure on the cor-nice below. Arrow points to outlet for downspout.

Fig. 14: Arrow points to small hole in copper at edge of solder from wear. Although this roof does currently not have large holes, it is the same age as the south portico roof and will likely devel-op larger holes the near future. The roof should be replaced at the same time as the south portico roof.



Page 46

Fig. 15: South pitch of the wood shingle roof on the ell showing extensive curling of the shingles. Although the roof is still sound, it is over 20-25 years old and nearing the end of its service. It will likley need to be replaced within 5 years.

Fig. 16: Wood gutter and galvanized steel downspout at the south pitch of the ell. Arrow points to dark area on underside of gutter that may be split and starting to rot. This area should be checked the next time the gutter is cleaned.



Page 47

Fig. 17: Top of easterly north chimney showing extensive voids in the mortar joints of the top 10 courses, and a vertical crack that extends through several bricks (arrow). The condition does not appear to have changed substantially from photo # 27 in the 99 CAP, and the top courses still need to be rebuilt.

Fig. 18: The base of the easterly north chimney showing that the flashing on the uphill side of the chimney was not replaced in 2006 when the sides were replaced. The lead cap flashing has numerous cracks for fatigue failure that could allow water to get in above the top of the copper base flashing. From this angle we could not see the condition of the copper at the edge of the slate, which is where it usually wears first. The old flash-ing should be replaced in conjunction with repointing the chimney.



Page 48

Fig. 19: South face of westerly north chimney. The condition of the top is considerably better than the easterly chimney, but there are still numer-ous small random voids in the mor-tar joints of the mid and lower sec-tion. The condition of the uphill flashing is the same as easterly chimney. The chimney needs to be repointed and the uphill flashing replaced. While limited spot point-ing would be acceptable, 100% cut-ting and pointing of all joints would be better.



Page 49

Fig. 20: Third floor chimney breast and ceiling below the easterly north chimney. While much of the plaster damage and drip marks on wood panel are from past leaks, one cannot be sure that some is not current.

Fig. 21: Looking up the third floor fireplace flue of the easterly north chimney. The underside of the chimney cap that is visible in the center appears to be galvanized steel with rust marks and a hole in the center (arrow).



Page 50

Fig. 22: South side of the south chim-ney showing extensive voids in the mortar joints of the top courses, and lead flashing apron installed in 2006.

Fig. 23: Chimney breast of south chimney in the second floor southeast room showing water stains from current leaks that staff state occur several times a year.

Fig. 24: North side of south chimney showing extensive deep voids in the mortar that may be the cause of drip marks shown in Fig. 23. At the very least this chimney needs to be 100% cut and repointed, and the top courses rebuilt. It needs to be examined hands-on to determine if the mortar deterioration is so deep that the chimney needs to be rebuilt from the roof line up.



Page 51

Fig. 25: Side of the south chimney showing lead stepped cap flashings installed in 2006. It is not clear whether the base flashings were also replaced, although we suspect they were not. The uphill flashing was not replaced. White sealant was sloppily applied to correct mortar jooints above the flashings.

Fig. 26: Downhill and west side of the easterly north chimney showing the copper flashings installed in 2006. The one piece side flashing is a short cut replacing the traditional stepped cap flashings previously used on these chimneys. Its front edge appears to be secured to the brick with sealant, which will eventually fail. We cannot tell whether the base flashings on the side were also replaced; they should be checked when the chim-ney is repointed.

Owner

Cross-Out



Page 52

Fig. 27: New lead coated copper chimney cap with small ventilators over each flue that was installed several years ago at the Derby House in Salem. The ventilators corrected a problem of chronic condensation within the flues that was generating leaks below. A similar cap is recommended to replace the concrete caps at the Cabot House.

Fig. 28: Details for from the Derby House job showing the construction of the ventilating caps.

Owner

Cross-Out



Page 53

Fig. 29: Lead flashing on top of belt course over former entry door in north facade to banking room showing deep void (arrow) in joint (i.e., reglet) where lead is set into brick.

Fig. 30: Drip marks (arrows) from leaks at head of door opening suggest water is getting in above the bricked in opening. A likely source are voids in the flashing reglet like that shown in Fig. 29. Additional water stains are visible on lower sections of the door.



Page 54

Fig. 31: Typical cracks in the lead flashings on the tops of the belt courses that are present on all facades. Other than at the former openings on the north facade, these cracks do not appear to be causing any leaks to the interior. As the lead is very thick and may be early or even original, it should be left as is.

Fig. 32: Belt course on the rear facade showing void in mortar joints. The lead flashing on this section was replaced many years ago with a mortar wash. The mortar joints need to be repointed, but are a low priority.



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Fig. 33: Typical original flat splayed lintel over window using “rubbed” bricks. The bricks are softer than regular bricks so they can be rubbed (i.e., abraded) to become slightly tapered to form the splay of the lintel while main-taining very tight joints.

Fig. 34: Detail of a splayed lintel with some joints that still retain their original white lime putty mortar. The wide joints on the far right are not original. The lime putty joints should be preserved with any future repointing using a similar lime putty mortar. Cur-rently all the joints in the lintels appear to be sound.



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Fig. 35: There are voids in the joints of the front entry granite steps. Ideally these should be repointed, but are not a high priority.

Fig. 36: Main cornice at center of south facade showing joint between original crown molding (left) and new replacement (right). The match of the new to old is very good. The modillion blocks and bed molding below them are original and should be retained and preserved.



Page 57

Fig. 37: North column at front entry showing crude repairsto splits in column shaft (arrow) and turned base with sealant that have been done since the 99 CAP. The repairs need to be redone using proper preservation carpen-try techniques.

Fig. 38: South column at front entry showing crude repairs with sealant to separations in the rectangular base. Water will find its way into the base and rot it from within if the repairs are not redone to make the joints tight. The turned base also needs to be repaired so that its pieces align together.



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Fig. 39: Crown moldings at south entry portico are loose and need to be reset in conjunction with replacing the copper roof. New downspouts need to be added to the existing leaders.

Fig. 40: Depressions (arrow) in the paving at the base of the handicapped access ramp present a hazard to wheelchairs. The voids should be filled to be level with the bottom board of the ramp. The wood decking of the ramp is becoming weathered with nails starting to rust, and wioll likely need to be replaced within 5 years.

Fig. 41: Lattice under ramp needs to be replaced, and all the lattice should be painted a uniform color.

Owner

Cross-Out



Page 59

Fig. 42: Window trim under segmental arch is falling off and needs to be securely reset and caulked.

Fig. 43: Northerly second floor window sash at front facade has defective glazing and damage to the exterior portion of several muntins that needs to be repaired. The glazing on other windows in the main block remains sound.



Page 60

Fig. 44: Severe glazing putty failure that is typical of most of the ell win-dows. All the ell window sash need to be reglazed in conjunction with repainting the ell.

Fig. 45: Cellar window with its base covered with landscaping debris that will even-tually rot the frame. The wells at all the cellar windows need to be cleaned out with organic debris removed several times a year as part of regular landscape mainte-nance.



Page 61

Fig. 46: Window sill with paint starting to flake off. Window sills in this condition should be repainted as a maintenance item without repainting the sound trim. Most of the sills appeared to be sound other than some flaking paint and relatively minor weather checking.

Fig. 47: Sheet metal covers are present on a few sills and may conceal past weathering damage or rot. Careful temporary lifting of sections to check for damage underneath them would be prudent.

Fig. 48: Lifting the metal corner of one sill where it was already loose revealed the sill to be surprisingly sound.



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Fig. 49: Peeling paint, condensation damage, and dirt at window sash in east end of 2nd floor meeting room. Slight gap at joint of bottom rail to stile (arrow) indicates the joint is deteriorating. Many other windows showed similar accumulations of dirt and condensation damage, but few showed signs of joint damage.

Fig. 51: Condensation damage and dirt accumulation also occurs at the meeting rail of the upper sash.

Fig. 50: Black arrow points to board that has to be removed to access the win-dow weight pocket to repair broken sash cords. The shut-ters are mounted on this board. Yellow arrow points to an original wood sash pulley. This window is at the west end of the 2nd floor meeting room.



Page 63

Fig. 54: Some of the UV film applied to the window glass is starting to lift and will eventually need to be re-adhered.

Fig. 52: Peeling paint, condensation damage, and dirt at window sash in the 2nd floor southwest chamber.

Fig. 53: Sash in the 1st floor southwest parlor with its muntin scribed to fit the curvature of the original crown glass. The sash in this room do not show substantial condensation damage.



Page 64

Fig. 55: Typical alligatored and flaking paint on the ell clapboards. The ell was last painted in 2002 and is now overdue for repainting.

Fig. 56: Peeling paint on the woodwork of the ell bay window.



Page 65

Fig. 57: Cast iron fence showing part of the sec-tion that was repaired and moved to the front with its matte prime paint left without a prop-er finish coat. Missing finial on post allows water to accumulate inside post and cause interior rust.

Fig. 58: Cast iron fence showing small break and extensive rust where the paint has failed. The entire fence needs to have its rust and old paint properly cleaned back to bare metal and repainted. This is best done by sandblasting followed by an immediate application of a special primer, and is usually done by temporary removal to a shop.



Page 66

Fig. 59: Typical rot of top rail of wood fence. New rails should have their top surface pitched slightly to drain water away from the pickets.

Fig. 60: Gazebo that was restored in 1999 and relocated to the back corner of the site is now deteriorating as it has not been repainted since then. The stones it sits on are not placed to properly pick up the loads of the gazebo’s structure.

Fig. 61: Gazebo that was restored in 1999 and relocated to the back corner of the site is now deteriorating. Detail of gazebo showing badly peeling paint with nailheads starting to rust.



Page 67

Fig. 62: 1940 HABS photo of the garden and Gazebo

Fig. 63: 1940 HABS plan of site showing plantings that presumably existed at that time, although we wonder if the tree placement is accurate.



Page 68

Fig. 65: Rear lawn in February showing accumulation of leaves and beechnuts that had not been raked up. Allowing leaves to remain for long periods makes it impossible to maintain the lawn.

Fig. 64: Well head structure with badly failing paint and roof boards that are detached and loose due to dete-rioration and lack of regular maintenance.



Page 69

Fig. 66: Truss and tie rods in attic that were added to support the second and third floor north side ceiling structure when the original wall partitions were removed to create the meeting room and long third floor storage room. Black arrow points to tie rod that extends to the 2nd floor ceiling. Yellow arrow points to one of two tie rods that support the 3rd floor ceiling structure.

Fig. 67: Third floor storage room. Black arrow points to tie rod from attic truss that extends down to support a beam across the 2nd floor meeting room ceiling. The yellow arrow points to the washer at the base of the attic tie rod that carries the ceiling where an original partition was removed. The long patch in the ceiling to the lefty of the tie rod end is from the removal of the partition.



Page 70

Fig. 68: 2nd Floor meeting room. Black arrow points to where the tie rod is connected to a beam (dashed line) that extends across the center of the room. The beam and tie rod were probably added when the original partitions were removed by the Society to create the long meeting room in the early 20th century.

Fig. 69: Ventilation grill in the center of the meeting room. The red arrow points to the beam marked by the dashed line in Fig. 68. The grill was installed to vent air from the meeting room up into the third floor room where its position is marked by a box about 3 feet high.

Owner

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Owner

Replacement Text

late 19th



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Fig. 70: Ceiling of third floor north room showing plaster patches that probably mark the location of early wall partitions. Given the lack of windows in the north wall, we wonder how the space between the two par-titions was lighted.

Fig. 71: Ceiling of third floor north room showing existing plaster patches and cracks. The cracks appear to be old based on the dirt in them. If the cracks are thought to be getting worse in the future, their appearance should be compared to this and other current photos of them. Simple crack gauges could also be installed over them to monitor movement, but we do not think that is warranted at this time.



Page 72

Fig. 72: The varnished floor finishes are wearing through to many bare wood in many locations (this is the 1st floor southeast room). Worn floor finishes need to be renewed (either with varnish or paint) to prevent heavy wear to the wood of the floor boards.

Fig. 73: The rare mid 19th century linoleum in the center hall as been inspected cleaned by a conservator since the 99 CAP. Her recommendations for its continued preservation should be rigorously followed in the future. There is also a fragment of an earlier linoleum on the floor of a second floor closet that should be preserved.

Owner

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Owner

Inserted Text

Owner

Inserted Text

found

Owner

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Owner

Replacement Text

first



Page 73

Fig. 74: Arrow points to small ventilator in the attic roof. Installation of a thermostatically controlled “whole house fan” in the attic ceiling is recommended as a more effective simple low cost way to prevent heat build-up in the attic and third floor. As such fans are larger tan the current ventilator, it will have to be located in a new position to avoid the roof framing. It should be placed so it is not visible from the front or south side of the building.

Fig. 75: Cellar under the library room showing gas fired furnaces for main block and ell, and lally columns (arrows) that provide added support for the main beam under the center of the library floor. The beam has been partially encased with modern 2x6 boards due to past insect damage. At the limited area where the bot-tom of original beam is visible, the damage appears to be quite old and is not a current concern. The clutter noted in the 99 CAP that encroached on the furnaces has been cleaned up.

Owner

Inserted Text

h



Page 74

Fig. 76: Walker Collection in the south side of the cellar showing water pipes for heating system that run above collection materials and pose substantial risk if they leak or break. Electric panel for the house is on the left.

Fig. 77: Heating pipe at floor level behind display panels in the cellar. Riser goes up to first floor radiator. Pipe insulation may contain hazardous materials.



Page 75

Fig. 78: Heating pipe in cellar showing exposed insulation that may contain hazardous materials.

Fig. 79: Old insect damage to framing at the west wall in the northwest corner of the cellar that was noted in the 99 CAP. The damage looks to be very old and its current condition appears to be stable. Similar damage is visible at several joists at the north wall under the former bank entry door. While secondary support have been added in a make-do fashion, it all appears to be stable.



Page 76

Fig. 80 Main front entry door with unlighted paper “exit” sign that does not meet current egress codes. Bat-tery powered emergency lights and exit signs need to installed throughout the house as required to meet codes. Currently the only code compliant exit is the new one from the cellar.

Fig. 81: Attic storage. While most of the items are non-collection, some collection items remain such as the upholstered sleigh (arrow) that may be damaged by rapid swings of RH and high temperatures that occur in this attic.



Page 77

Fig. 82: The clutter of excess items in collections third floor storage rooms prevents access to windows and some other areas for routine cleaning, as shown by the condition of the window in Fig. 80 below.

Fig. 83: Accumulation of dust and dirt at windows and on Venetian blinds in collection storage rooms is not good for the collections items or people working on them.



Page 78

Fig. 84: Accumulation of plaster dust at the westerly fireplace in the north 3rd floor storage room. The den-sity and clutter of collections items in this room makes access to the fireplace and other portions of the room for routine cleaning difficult.

Fig. 85: Threshold at entry from ell into man block. The strip of wood (yellow arrow) placed at the edge of the threshold somewhat alleviates the concern of the 99 CAP about the abrupt rise of the threshold for wheel-chair access. The white arrow points to an area of deep gouging in the threshold that posses a tripping hazard, especially for persons in high heels. The gouged area should be cut out and filled with a wood Dutchman insert to be on the same plane as the surrounding sound wood.



Page 79

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Page 80

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the

thre

shol

d fo

r mol

d gr

owth

. Dur

ing

the f

ive d

ays a

t the

end

of S

epte

mbe

r the

RH

brie

fly ri

ses a

bove

65%

on

a cou

ple o

f day

s. A

s in

the c

ella

r gra

ph, t

his m

akes

us c

once

rned

th

at su

mm

er R

H m

ay e

xcee

d 65

% -

70%

at t

imes

. Con

ditio

ns fo

r the

rest

of t

his p

erio

d ar

e re

ason

able

RH

leve

ls, a

lthou

gh 2

4-48

hou

r RH

swin

gs a

re sh

arpe

r w

ith so

me

appr

oach

ing

15%

. We

did

not d

o an

y w

inte

r log

s for

this

spac

e, bu

t the

RH

leve

ls an

d sw

ings

are

pro

babl

y to

the

libra

ry.

Owner

Cross-Out

Owner

Inserted Text

be

Owner

Inserted Text

similar



Page 81

Cab

ot th

rid

fl #3

Tim

e09

/29/

11 0

1:39

:53.

063

AM

GM

T-04

:00

11/1

4/11

03:

53:0

3.81

5 A

M G

MT-

04:0

010

/09/

1110

/19/

1110

/29/

1111

/08/

11

°F

5560657075

%

44464850525456586062

Fig.

88:

Dat

a lo

g gr

aph

of co

nditi

ons i

n th

e 3r

d flo

or so

uthw

est s

tora

ge ro

om fr

om 9

/11/

11 to

11/

12/1

1. R

elat

ive

hum

idity

is in

red;

tem

pera

ture

is in

bla

ck. D

urin

g th

e fiv

e da

ys at

the

end

of S

epte

mbe

r the

RH

onl

y ris

es to

61%

. Con

ditio

ns th

roug

hout

this

perio

d ha

ve re

ason

able

RH

leve

ls w

ith 2

4-48

hou

r RH

swin

gs b

eing

less

th

an 1

0%. T

hat t

he R

H sw

ings

in th

is ro

om a

re le

ss th

an th

e fir

st fl

oor i

s pro

babl

y du

e to

the

door

to th

e ce

nter

hal

l bei

ng c

lose

d m

ost o

f the

tim

e.



Page 82

Cab

ot L

ibra

ry #

2

Tim

e11

/12/

11 1

2:00

:00

AM

GM

T-05

:00

02/0

5/12

12:

00:0

0 A

M G

MT-

05:0

011

/12/

1111

/22/

1112

/02/

1112

/12/

1112

/22/

1101

/01/

1201

/11/

1201

/21/

1201

/31/

12

°F

6062646668707274

%

152025303540455055

Fig.

89:

Dat

a lo

g gr

aph

of c

ondi

tions

in th

e 1s

t flo

or li

brar

y (N

orth

east

room

) fro

m 1

1/11

/11

to 1

/26/

12. R

elat

ive

hum

idity

is in

red;

tem

pera

ture

is in

bla

ck T

he

blue

hor

izon

tal l

ine

mar

ks 3

5% R

H. I

deal

ly o

ne w

ould

like

to k

eep

the

win

ter R

H a

bove

35%

mos

t of t

he ti

me,

but t

hat c

an b

e di

fficu

lt to

unl

ess t

he h

eat i

s kep

t ve

ry lo

w. T

he te

mpe

ratu

re g

raph

cle

arly

refle

cts t

he sc

hedu

le te

mpe

ratu

re se

tbac

ks a

t nig

hts a

nd o

ver w

eeke

nds p

erio

ds w

hen

the

hous

e is

clos

ed, a

nd th

e im

pact

of

this

on R

H. I

t also

show

s tha

t eve

n w

ith th

is m

ild w

inte

r, th

e RH

is b

elow

35%

and

freq

uent

ly d

own

to 2

0%-2

5% fr

om la

te D

ecem

ber o

nwar

ds. I

t also

show

s tha

t w

ith th

e 2-

3 da

y w

eeke

nd se

tbac

ks o

f the

tem

pera

ture

dow

n to

abo

ut 6

2 de

gree

s, th

e RH

rise

s 10%

v - 1

5% e

xcep

t for

per

iods

whe

n th

e ou

tsid

e te

mpe

ratu

re st

ays

in th

e 20

s or

less

. In

the

latte

r cas

e, th

e he

at is

still

on

so m

uch

that

the

RH fa

lls in

to th

e 20

s. Th

e w

eeke

nd se

tbac

ks g

ener

ate

seve

ral p

erio

ds w

hen

the

24-4

8 ho

ur

swin

gs o

f the

RH

are 1

5%, w

hich

is st

ress

ful f

or so

me c

olle

ctio

ns it

ems.T

he g

raph

also

show

s tha

t the

regu

lar n

ight

tim

e tem

pera

ture

setb

acks

do

not p

rodu

ce ex

ces-

sive

shor

t ter

m sw

ings

in th

e RH

. Ref

er to

the

next

figu

re fo

r a m

ore

deta

iled

prin

tout

of a

sect

ion

of th

is gr

aph.

Owner

Cross-Out



Page 83

Cab

ot L

ibra

ry #

2

Tim

e12

/26/

11 0

9:02

:00.

776

PM G

MT-

05:0

001

/21/

12 0

9:23

:37.

539

AM

GM

T-05

:00

12/3

101

/05

01/1

001

/15

01/2

0

°F

626466687072

%

20253035404550

Fig.

90:

Det

ails

of d

ata

log

grap

h of

con

ditio

ns in

the

1st f

loor

libr

ary

(Nor

thea

st ro

om) f

rom

12/

28/1

1 to

1/2

1/12

. Rel

ativ

e hu

mid

ity is

in re

d; te

mpe

ratu

re is

in

blac

k Th

e bl

ue h

oriz

onta

l lin

e m

arks

35%

RH

. Ide

ally

one

wou

ld li

ke to

kee

p th

e w

inte

r RH

abo

ve 3

5% m

ost o

f the

tim

e, bu

t tha

t can

be

diffi

cult

to u

nles

s the

hea

t is

kept

ver

y lo

w. T

he te

mpe

ratu

re g

raph

cle

arly

refle

cts t

he sc

hedu

le te

mpe

ratu

re se

tbac

ks a

t nig

hts a

nd o

ver w

eeke

nds p

erio

ds w

hen

the

hous

e is

clos

ed, a

nd th

e im

pact

of t

his o

n RH

. The

ext

erio

r tem

pera

ture

s for

per

iod

of 1

/15

- 1/1

7 w

ere

very

col

d, a

nd e

ven

with

the

heat

redu

ced

to 6

2 F,

the

RH fa

lls to

20%

. In

cont

rast

to

this,

the

exte

rior t

empe

ratu

res w

ere

rela

tivel

y w

arm

from

12/

31 to

1/3

, and

with

the

wee

kend

setb

ack

the

RH ri

ses t

o 40

%. O

ne c

an su

rmise

from

this

data

that

by

low

erin

g in

terio

r tem

pera

ture

s sub

stan

tially

(i.e.

, 40

to 5

0 F)

dur

ing

perio

ds o

f col

d w

eath

er, t

he R

H c

an b

e m

aint

aine

d at

mor

e ac

cept

able

leve

ls fo

r col

lect

ions

m

ater

ials.

The

ver

y sh

ort s

win

gs in

the

grap

h re

flect

the

heat

ing

syst

em c

yclin

g on

and

off.



Page 84

Cab

ot V

ault

#1

11/1

2/11

02:

37:1

3.52

6 A

M G

MT-

05:0

001

/28/

12 0

8:34

:13.

179

AM

GM

T-05

:00

11/2

2/11

12/0

2/11

12/1

2/11

12/2

2/11

01/0

1/12

01/1

1/12

01/2

1/12

°F

54565860626466

%

384042444648505254

Fig.

91:

Dat

a lo

g gr

aph

of c

ondi

tions

in th

e 1s

t flo

or a

rchi

ves v

ault

(nex

t to

the

sout

heas

t roo

m) f

rom

11/

11/1

1 to

1/2

6/12

. Rel

ativ

e hu

mid

ity is

in re

d; te

mpe

ratu

re

is in

bla

ck. T

his s

how

s tha

t the

RH

in th

e va

ult i

s far

mor

e st

able

than

in th

e ad

jace

nt ro

oms t

hat a

re o

pen

to e

ach

othe

r and

hea

ted

to c

omfo

rt le

vels.

The

Rh

does

no

t fal

l bel

ow 4

0% w

hen

the

libra

ry fa

lls d

own

to 2

0%, a

nd th

e 24

hou

r sw

ings

are

rela

tivel

y sm

all a

nd m

ay in

par

t be

gene

rate

d by

the

door

bei

ng o

pene

d br

iefly

to

acc

ess

the

vaul

t. A

s th

e sp

ace

is no

t dire

ctly

hea

ted,

its

tem

pera

ture

gra

dual

ly fa

lls in

to th

e lo

w 5

0s, w

hich

is w

hy it

s RH

stay

s ab

ove

40%

. It d

emon

stra

tes

the

valu

e of

ext

endi

ng th

e va

ult t

o pr

ovid

e m

ore

stor

age

for s

ensit

ive

colle

ctio

ns m

ater

ials.

We

did

not d

o an

y da

ta lo

ggin

g of

this

spac

e in

the

sum

mer

, but

if it

s RH

is

too

high

, it w

ould

be

rela

tivel

y ea

sy to

con

trol

with

a d

ehum

idifi

er.



Page 85

Cab

ot A

ttic

#3

Tim

e11

/12/

11 0

6:00

:12.

713

AM

GM

T-05

:00

01/2

8/12

08:

17:3

0.97

1 A

M G

MT-

05:0

011

/22/

1112

/02/

1112

/12/

1112

/22/

1101

/01/

1201

/11/

1201

/21/

12

°F

35404550556065

%

50556065707580

Fig.

92:

Dat

a lo

g gr

aph

of c

ondi

tions

in th

e at

tic fr

om 1

1/11

/11

to 1

/26/

12. R

elat

ive

hum

idity

is in

red;

tem

pera

ture

is in

bla

ck. T

he b

lue

line

mar

ks 6

5% R

H. T

his

grap

h is

a st

ark

cont

rast

to th

e gra

ph fr

om th

e vau

lt an

d sh

ows t

he at

tic is

an

extr

emel

y ba

d en

viro

nmen

t for

stor

age o

f mos

t col

lect

ions

mat

eria

ls. S

ome 2

4-48

hou

rsw

ings

are

20%

or m

ore.

The

RH fr

eque

ntly

ove

r 65%

and

stay

s abo

ve 7

0% fo

r a d

ay a

t a ti

me.

Ther

e is

no d

irect

hea

t, th

ere

is a

smal

l ope

n ro

of v

ent,

and

the

floor

is

insu

late

d, th

e at

tic te

mpe

ratu

re is

freq

uent

ly in

the

low

40s

and

brie

fly d

ips t

o 31

, whi

ch is

why

the

RH st

ays i

n th

e 50

s and

60s

. Ess

entia

lly th

e te

mpe

ratu

re a

nd

RH fo

llow

s cha

ngin

g ex

terio

r con

ditio

ns w

ith sl

ight

mod

erat

ion

prov

ided

by

the

mod

est a

mou

nt o

f hea

t tha

t rise

s fro

m th

e flo

ors b

elow

.



Page 86

Appendix

Paper by the staff of Historic New England summarizing a recent conference they held on dampness/HVAC issues in historic house museums

the john cabot house - beverly, massachusetts

Documents