LEXINGTON, Va., Dec. 19, 2014 – A project currently under way in the VMI physical plant has not only saved the state thousands of dollars, but brought historical authenticity back to one of VMI’s most well-known and heavily trafficked buildings.
Just before Christmas furlough began, locksmith Tommy Tomlin and assistant locksmiths Mark Lynn and Kevin Scott were busy hanging the new wooden doors that had been crafted in house for Crozet Hall, often referred to as the mess hall. The project is part of an effort that’s been ongoing since 2010 to restore or replace the front exterior doors to many of the key buildings on post.
The current doors on Crozet Hall were put up in 2005, and began to show wear quickly, explained Mike Jennings, chief of fire and safety programs. “They were just bought doors,” he commented, adding that the 2005 project replaced only the doors themselves, not the jambs and transoms.
Those doors were only the second set ever hung on the building, as the original doors from 1934 had remained in place until then.
Wanting to restore Crozet Hall’s architectural integrity, the physical plant staff began in August by taking a close look at a photograph of the 1934 doors that Col. Keith Gibson ’77, executive director of the VMI Museum System, had found in the VMI Archives. Working from that photograph, Tomlin, Lynn, and Scott created a plan for three sets of double doors that would be hung on the front of the building facing Letcher Avenue.
The work was painstaking, and the amount of materials needed was much higher than the casual onlooker might have guessed. Lynn counted 1,209 pieces of wood, glass, and hardware per door, including 547 pieces of wood in each transom alone.
“There’s a lot of pieces you don’t see,” he commented, gesturing to the fir core of each door, which is sandwiched between two pieces of oak. “It adds up pretty quick.”
Jennings explained that the types of wood – fir and oak – were chosen for their durability. “[The Crozet Hall doors] do take a lot of abuse,” he noted.
To complete the historical look, the physical plant employees crafted new transoms to replace the aging ones currently in place and ordered period hardware from Ball and Ball, a Pennsylvania firm specializing in antique reproduction hardware.
“Now it’s a solid door that looks like the period door, historically accurate and a lot cheaper because we did it in house,” said Jennings. “We replaced everything.”
Jennings was quick to praise the craftsmanship and dedication shown by Tomlin, Lynn, and Scott, who each put in many hours of work on the project. “The quality of work in the doors is something that you cannot go to a vendor and buy,” Jennings noted.
Concurring with Jennings’ assessment, Gibson remarked, “This project restores one of the key architectural elements of the 1934 Mess Hall. Doors represent a focus point on the architectural façade, a place where great attention is placed. This work by our own VMI crew not only exhibits their craftsmanship, but also their commitment to researching the original design and faithfully replicating it. It is amazing to see our crew take a pile of oak planks and produce such workmanship.”
The doors that were replaced before Christmas were those closest to Main Street. The other two sets, which are currently under construction, are scheduled to be hung in time for graduation in May. Jennings explained that once the Crozet doors are completed, the next project will be crafting new doors for Scott Shipp Hall, home to multiple academic departments and the meeting place for many classes.
Over the past few years, physical plant employees have crafted new doors for Jackson Memorial Hall, Preston Library, Shell Hall, Carroll Hall, and most recently, Nichols Engineering Building. Other recent projects have included refinishing of the doors on Kilbourne Hall facing Main Street, and building new doors for the side entrances to Crozet Hall facing Main Street.
Is there an end point to the door project? Jennings thinks not.
“Wood doors outside, … you have to keep going back to maintain the finish,” he noted, explaining that each summer, physical plant staff go through to refinish doors that have been marred by scuffs and stains.
“We’re not ever really finished.”
– Mary Price
Original story can be found here.