Liar, Liar, Business Fire

There are no actual lies in this post. But last week the business school caught fire. This was the day after Christmas. I was the first person on the scene. I noticed smoke pouring out of the building, but flames were coming only from the area where the electrical service came into the building. I drove to the police station to report the fire. I fully expected that by the time the fire truck arrived from the airport, the entire building would be lost. Later, I went over to the property to tell them what I had seen.

A couple days later, the administrator of the school came to the museum to get me. She wanted me to go through the building with the contractor that had been hired to do the repairs.

I really thought I was leaving the stress of constantly fighting for the preservation of buildings that should, without much of a thought, be restored. I am the only restoration professional on the island. Everyone knows this from the article in the newspaper.

The business school is housed in a timber-framed house that dates to ca1800. The timber framing is incredible, very well done, very English. The frame is made from ship timbers and Bermuda Cedar. Surrounding the historic structure are newer classroom areas. The contractor wanted to tear the whole building down and build a similar structure in concrete block.

The building actually was very intact. The Bermuda kitchen, where the fire started, was totally lost. The rest of the building was salvageable. I spent an hour showing everyone how well the timber frame held up in the fire. Most rooms were intact and only required cleaning. There was so much paint on the wood paneling that the paint blistered and burned, but the wood remained intact. I thought that a full evaluation should be done on what could be saved.

Two days later I returned. All of the finishes were removed down to the timber frame. I met with a government official, the contractor, and school administrator. I went through the building and advised what should be replaced in kind, what part of the structural timbers should be replaced, and what finishes should be reproduced. The plan now is for the contractor to complete a major restoration of the interior finishes, including all of the wood paneling. I am to complete periodic construction reviews and advise on preservation issues. I think I can feel my ulcer returning.