Restoring the Brickyard House is a challenging and insightful task, employing various kinds of preservation techniques. Golden Landmarks Association’s Brickyard House project consists of multiple phases where Phase 1 focused on the exterior (including walls, roof, windows, porch) and Phase 2 will focus on the interior (woodwork, walls, ceilings, doors, and more).
Among the many preservation techniques planned and already used in the preservation of the Brickyard House so far, below are two of the preservation techniques:
Cloned Bricks
The ornamental shaped fancy brick are basically a lost art. Since various such bricks at the house were damaged and decayed prior to beginning Phase 1, getting replacements was a challenge.
The solution was to clone the original bricks and re-use as much original brick material as possible.
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Rubber molds were made of the shaped bricks.
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Broken brick remains were not discarded but ground up.
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The ground bricks were put in a mix and cast within the molds.
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Finally, the mixture was fired with matching coloration.
The result was new bricks just like the originals.
Trace Preservation
Replacing missing elements of the house which nobody is sure to remember is quite a challenge, especially with a house of little photographic documentation. With the front porch partially intact, it was possible to replicate its missing floor and front with several clues. First, ghost outlines where there was no paint showed where the three original porch front columns were, and confirmed they had ornamental brackets like those of the back. A historic photo, though at a distance, confirmed that the front columns matched the back in design. Piled up scrap lumber inside a front room revealed the porch floor boards never actually left, which while themselves no longer usable provided a guide to replicating the new boards necessary. Finally, remaining length beams showed which way the porch support structure was oriented, and brick anchors were still visible in the ground where its anchor supports were.
Completing Phase 1
The Phase 1 exterior restoration was completed successfully with the help of many skilled craftsman and the support from the City of Golden, community members and funds from the Colorado State Historic Fund.
With the completion of Phase 1 of the Brickyard House restroration project, Golden Landmarks Association ensured not only the structural integrity of the Brickyard House and its beautiful architecture but also ensured that its presence will serve as a reminder of Golden, Colorado’s proud heritage and important contributions to brick making.
Moving Forward with Phase 2
For the past several months, Golden Landmarks Association has been engaging community members, historical preservation experts and many others to discuss the design and timing of Phase 2 of the Brickyard House restoration project. As we work toward the next exciting phase of this project, we welcome your help and support.
Check back for more as the project goes forward!
More about the Brickyard House:
History • Architecture • Preservation • Golden Brick • Updates