Solving the Unknowns of Preservation and Restoration

The Branch House plumbing is remarkable in that so much of the original piping is still in use after 100 years but it is causing damage to the decorative plaster. Tracing the pipes has led to understanding how the house was built behind the surfaces you see. You will see various strategies in investigating behind the walls, spaces not normally seen by the public including the highest and lowest parts of the building, and some of the 1916 construction drawings from Pope’s office. You will learn about construction techniques that were novel in 1919 but are common today and things to consider when describing work to be done that you cannot see. Like a simple plumbing job today, what started as a seemingly mundane task escalated into a historical reimagining of the entire building and discovery of what was else needs to be done!