The Old Schoolhouse building took about three hours to drop on Monday, April 22. Next on the list is rebuilding the porch. ERIN TIERNEY/THE CRESWELL CHRONICLE
There has been lots of news surrounding the Old Schoolhouse and Creswell Heritage Foundation lately.
To briefly recap, in March the Old Schoolhouse was lifted after work had been delayed a week due to the snowstorm.
In the following week, the stump on the northwest corner was ground out. ”That invading stump had caused the building to warp gradually over the year, CHF President Verlean McCoy said in a release. ”Lesson learned: Be careful where you plant a tree. It could be a problem in 100 years.”
The excavators dug under the building to make room for the new foundation, concrete forms were placed and the concrete later poured.
The building drop on Monday, April 22 took about three hours, McCoy said. Builders took out a layer of metal beams and lowered it about 14 inches, as well as some other beams.
After the building is fastened to the foundation, the work on rebuilding the porch will begin, McCoy said.
The target completion date for the first phase of the project is May 15, executed by General Contractor Calvin L. Lewis. Lewis became the 100th entry on the CHF list of First 100 Supporters, which is a list started at the first CHF meeting in November 2016.
”We have been awarded a $5,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for the architect work for the next phase of the building restoration – the exterior,” McCoy said. That will involve replacing or repairing deteriorated siding, the roof on the back room, the window frames and the outside trim, she said.
CHF will be raising money the rest of 2019 for that work to be done in 2020.
CHF was organized in 2017, with its first goal to restore Creswell’s historic schoolhouse and to return it to public use. It is the only building in Creswell listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The nonprofit’s mission is ”To collaborate within our community to enrich the lives of current and future generations by protecting and preserving Creswell’s physical and cultural heritage.”
Board meetings are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month. A regular place has not been determined, McCoy said, so for those planning to attend contact McCoy at [email protected] or 541-895-3726.
For more information on CHF, visit creswellheritagefoundation.org.
