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.

North Burial Ground Gatehouse Restoration

Fall River, MA

Recently, work has begun to restore the gatehouse at North Burial Ground in Fall River, MA. The restoration is to include the cleaning and repointing of the historic masonry, salvaging and repairing the wood trim, doors, and windows, and restoring the wrought iron entry gate.

North Burial Ground is the oldest city-owned cemetery in Fall River. It was officially purchased by the city in 1825, however, some headstones date back to the early 1800’s. At the east entrance to the cemetery, located along North Main Street, is the gatehouse. The gatehouse, constructed around 1890, was designed in the Romanesque Revival style and is comprised mainly of a slate tile roof, fieldstone walls, and Fall River granite foundation. The cemetery and gatehouse are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Construction included replacement and upgrades to the door and door hardware as well as the gutter and downspout and restoration of the granite steps, windows, masonry walls, and colonettes.

Oak Grove Cemetery Entrance

Fall River, MA

Civitects, PC worked with the City of Fall River to restore the masonry and wrought iron at the historic Oak Grove Cemetery Entrance Gate.

The cemetery was designed in 1855 by Josiah Brown, who also designed several prominent Mills around Fall River including the Union Mill Complex located on Pleasant St. It was designed in the Rural Garden Style and features Gothic Revival design elements, including the main entry gate made of locally quarried Fall River Granite. For several decades, Oak Grove was considered to be the fashionable place to be buried and is the final resting place of many Fall River elites. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The 1873 ironwork, consisting of pedestrian and vehicular gates and an ornate cross atop the granite arch, was carefully restored, and damaged or missing elements were replaced with new castings. Areas, where the hand-cut granite masonry was loose, were repaired and reconstructed, removing previous patchwork and organic material. The mortar joints were carefully hand raked, cleaned, and repointed.

This project was funded by the Fall River Community Preservation Act.