Florida/Caribbean Architect - Winter 2014 - (Page 14)

THE CALL-COLLINS HOUSE RESTORATION (formerly The Grove), tallahassee, florida MLD ARCHITECTS, INC., BETH EBY, AIA, SR. PROJECT ARCHITECT, tallahassee, florida In 2009, the Florida Division of Historical Resources assumed operational responsibility for The Grove, a historic house located on 10 acres in downtown Tallahassee. Richard Keith Call, twotime Territorial Governor of Florida, began construction on his future home in 1829. From 1942 to 2009, it was home to another Florida Governor, LeRoy Collins and his family. Upon the assumption of operational responsibility for the home, the Division was charged with preserving the house and opening it to the public as a museum. Accordingly, in early 2010, the Division embarked on a community-based process developing a vision for the future of The Grove. Central to this vision were core concepts of innovative preservation excellence, compelling and holistic cultural interpretive experience and sustainability. From the outset, this project recognized that the traditional cultural tourism model was outdated, increasingly irrelevant and unsustainable. That being so, The Grove project team drew on successful examples from across the country and endeavored to create a new model for excellence and sustainability applicable to historic houses and sites. To this end, the new model will create an open forum for facilitated learning, drawing on the historic examples of Governors Call and Collins and will be located in a place where these connections are obvious and unparalleled. The Grove is historically significant not only as a notable example of Greek Revival architecture, but also for its association with the political and cultural history of Florida. The cultural and historical dichotomy of Governor Call's being a slave owner and Governor Collins' instrumental role in Florida's civil rights movement is integral to the history of the house and is the inspiration for the Call-Collins Center for Principled Public Service. The architectural/historical/political importance of the house called for 16 Northeast corner showing main elevation, portico and entrance to the house. Right: Detail of main entrance including Federal-style details in the doorway. Photo by Beth Eby. an integrated technology approach. The project required state-of-the-art preservation techniques and current best practices for historic restoration. A variety of destructive and nondestructive tests were used during the investigative phase to determine the composition, strength and material properties of the historic house. The architects worked closely with an architectural conservator and structural engineers to design historically sensitive repairs. All original fabric was restored when possible and any replacement was a last resort. Modern upgrades to the existing infrastructure were concealed wherever possible and design solutions with minimal impact to the historic structure were preferable. As early as the 1930s, masonry cracks were documented in photographs, making stabilization of the masonry envelope one of the primary goals of the project. Through state-of-the-art technology and traditional techniques like field-testing, a written analysis was prepared that provided the building blocks for a creative solution for the masonry conservation. Brick absorption testing, mortar sampling, minimally invasive structural probes and lab testing gave the design team further valuable information. Of particular interest inside the house is the elaborate curved Federal staircase. Richard Keith Call was a protégé of Andrew Jackson and he married Mary Letita Kirkman at Jackson's home, The Hermitage, in Tennessee. The staircase in the main hall of The Grove is a replica of the curved stair at The Hermitage. The restoration of the staircase included initial probes with a boroscope that indicated that the stair was cantilevered www.aiafla.org http://www.aiafla.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Florida/Caribbean Architect - Winter 2014

President’s Perspective / Nathan Butler, AIA, LEED AP
Editorial / Diane D. Greer
The Geometer’s Tower at 25
3-D Laser Scanning: A Snapshot in Time
The Call-Collins House Restoration
The Conservation of Preservation
Lakeland Service Center for Joe G. Tedder, Tax Collector
Poker Room for Jacksonville Greyhound Racing
A Word from Your 2014 Florida/ Caribbean Associate Directors
Mosaic Salon
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Florida/Caribbean Architect - Winter 2014