Bank Street Armory Roof Replacement

Fall River, MA

Considered a city landmark, Fall River’s Bank Street Armory is a monumental Romanesque Revival structure is comprised of large coursed granite masonry. The armory’s appearance is that of a medieval fortress with a crenelated parapet and arched windows. The layout of the building consists of a 4-1/2 story head house facing Bank Street and a 1-1/2 story drill hall behind. Construction began in 1895 and completed in 1897 and there have been minimal alterations to the property since its original construction.

Roof replacement work consisted of the replacement of the existing roof membrane system with a new EPDM roof system. The project included the stabilization of the existing wood roof framing that had experienced water damage and the installation of new overflow roof drainage. There were multiple areas at the crenelated parapet where the original copper flashing was either missing or severely damaged. For sections of the parapet exposed to the public view, Civitects called for original copper sheets that were removed in place of the new roof membrane system to be salvaged and modified to fit the crenelated parapet. This action ensured that the original patinated copper flashing could be preserved and re-used at locations visible to the public.

The roof replacement project was funded by the Fall River Community Preservation Act (CPA). Prior to the execution of the roof work, a Conditions Assessment was prepared through funding from a Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) grant. All work was executed in compliance with The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.