Project Overview
Collins provided design and construction management services for the repair of the stone side monuments and stairs leading to the front entrance of the City of Watertown Public Library. The library was constructed in 1906 with an Andrew Carnegie Grant. The front façade and steps had fallen into disrepair.
The foundations of the entire structure, including the monuments and stairs, were composed of rubble stone walls set with mortar. It was determined that water infiltration, due to a poorly sloped sidewalk and lower quality mortar, were behind the deterioration of the foundation.
The rubble stone foundations were excavated and removed to sound material. A reinforced concrete footing capped the old foundation walls and reinforced CMU walls were built up at the exact dimensions of the old foundations. The old stone façade and stairs were salvaged, cleaned, and placed back in their intended position with stone masonry anchors added between the stone pieces. Seven additional stone stairs were necessary to complete the project. The stone type and color were matched as closely as possible from a nearby quarry. The top and front faces were sandblasted to provide a weathered look, like the existing stone. The new stone replaced concrete steps that had been a temporary repair in the 1980s after a car crashed into the front steps, destroying them.