Harvard University Fence and Gate Restoration

Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Challenge:

Complete restoration of severely deteriorated gates, which have suffered from lack of maintenance over many years with severely rusted ironwork, peeling lead paint, and many corroded decorative cast-iron elements. The deterioration to the masonry had caused deterioration at the masonry structures and of the steel, which was in a perpetual state of dampness. There was a concern that the weight of the arch piece on some of the fences would create difficulty in the design of the expansion pin into the masonry.

Solution:

To eliminate masonry cracking and spalling due to expansion, each fence or gate element was given a stainless steel expansion pin set into a stainless steel or bronze socket within the masonry to accommodate expansion and movement. The entire gates were taken off site, sandblasted to remove all the paint, and missing and deteriorated elements were re-fabricated in cast iron and replaced. The gates were then brush-blasted and coated with a three-coat high-tech paint system. CBI was awarded the National Historical Trust Award for Historic Preservation in 1994 for this project.

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