WHITNEY
ARCHITECTURE
WALNUT HILL SCHOOL HOUSE
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Reconstruction of a Historic School House After Hurricane Ivan
AWARDS
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Florida Trust for Historic Preservation Award for Outstanding Achievement.
In 2004, the winds of Hurricane Ivan completely leveled the school house and was only partially protected for months. In the spring of 2005, the work to restore the school house began. I orchestrated an extensive salvage, and sorting exercise to verify which timbers could be re-used and what the restoration plan should be. Using oral and written history, it was determined that the original school house included no porches, no fireplace, and only shutters for windows. In order to conform to modern wind codes, I developed a detail in which steel rods were used at regular intervals, inserted in drilled holes as the timbers were stacked. These were bolted and tied to the concrete pilings which provided the necessary uplift resistance. It was recognized by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation with an Award for Outstanding Achievement.