The annual meeting of the Traditional Timber Framers Advisory Group is this Saturday, and our crew is really looking forward to it. Our own Dan Boyle has worked hard to organize a great event in Topsfield, MA, which will include a walking tour of the Parson Capon House c. 1683, the Gould Barn c. 1710, …
The most interesting part of working on the Abyssinian has been the process of discovery. When we first started working on the restoration, we encountered dank apartments and the absence of much of the original truss framing. There was little architectural documentation of the building at the height of its use, except for a turn-of-the…
Abyssinian before: Abyssinian after:
Last week, PTF was featured in two more articles, these ones about developments at the Abyssinian. The DownEast article focuses on the social history of the building as well as the people responsible for its restoration. It contains some of my favorite stories about the building, including its origin story, and how it was saved…
Sunday, the Maine Sunday Telegram printed an article about Preservation Timber Framing’s participation in the renovation of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: BOSTON – When the Museum of Fine Arts needed experts to complete a pair of 1700s period rooms in its new wing, a couple of craftspeople from Maine got the call to…
Built in 1828, the Abyssinian Meetinghouse is the third oldest African American meetinghouse in the country. PTF was fortunate to join the restoration project in 2005, removing the tenement apartments inside, and repairing the king post truss frame. In 2010, we rebuilt the cornice, and completed the roof and basement phases. In October 2010, archaeologists dug around the…
We’ve begun work on the Abyssinian Meetinghouse again. Last week, archaeologists dug test pits in the basement and driveway, while we worked on cutting a new front sill. After years of damage, no part of the original front sill could be saved. Click on the photos below for a complete description.
Over the last month, our Damariscotta crew has been busy. We completed the frieze, fascia, crown and bed moldings. We helped to install the clock, assembling the clock faces and carefully attuning the clapper and its mechanisms to the bell. Lastly, we cleaned up and hauled out, leaving the site a real sight. Click on…
A selection of photos from yesterday’s crane event. Click on the photo to read a description and visit our Flickr page to see more.
New England is peppered with antique barns in various states of disrepair, and saving them is central to our mission. Timber-framed barns are icons of the New England landscape. They connect us to our agrarian and architectural history and contain centuries of embodied energy. But many other books, such as Field Guide to New England…