Update on the William Brown House

Photo of the William Brown House by Bob Peterson. A framed copy of this photo will be available in our online auction this November!

Though 2020 has been an unprecedented year with many unexpected things coming our way, we are still moving ahead with the preservation work on the c.1760 William Brown House. As you may know, the Brown House is the only building still standing from the original colonial London Town. Today, it is a National Historical Landmark.

Because it has been a little while since you had a more thorough update, we thought it was a good time to let you know what has already occurred and what we think the next few months will bring us in regards to the preservation project.

I'm pleased to report that the recent tornado did not damage the building. It did, however, manage to blow open the heavy hatch in the attic! However, the tornado did impact our gardens. You can read more about that here.

Worcester-Eisenbrandt worker repainting a cellar level window on the William Brown House

We have fully finished the first phase of preservation work. This phase focused on sealing up the building to stop moisture from getting inside. Worcester Eisenbrandt worked for many months on this project. All of the windows were taken out and fully repaired before being replaced. Quite a bit of repointing was done to the bricks. And some additional support work in the attic was built. This was a critical need for the long-term preservation needs of the building.

The second phase will start later this year. We are currently receiving bids to work on the electrical and HVAC systems. The core components of both systems go back to the 1960s or 1970s. So, we feel that it is past time to ensure that these systems can last for the next few decades. The HVAC system in particular needs to be upgraded and made more energy efficient.