There are over 80,000 properties listed under the National Register of Historic Places as of just a few years ago. In terms of ages, these sites can range from the earliest settlements in America to more recent 20th century establishments. No matter what the condition of these buildings, from time to time they all require a certain level of reconstruction or touching up. This topic is not rare in this blog, especially with the number of cupolas and finials in this country that were erected in centuries past. Sometimes the stories have a bit of a twist in them, like the enormous cost to restore a clock tower in Texas.
According to The Star-Telegram, a clock tower in Tarrant County has been undergoing extensive repairs because of weather damage over the years. The surprising part? The cost:
“The 285-foot-tall Renaissance Revival structure was as leaky as ‘a screen door on a submarine,’ said Byrne Construction Services superintendent Randy Hudzik as he climbed inside the Erector Set-like framework of the clock tower’s dome and cupola. The drip from a dozen decades of rain, hail and ice had slowly eaten away at the tower’s masonry, windows, flooring and steel framework, necessitating a makeover that was originally pegged at $5 million…”
Luckily for taxpayers in Tarrant County, the budget for the project is projected to come in under that amount by half a million dollars, says the story. However, the damage found in the clock tower and its surrounding cupola was worse than expected in a number of cases:
“The condition of the cast-iron balustrade dental work on the exterior was worse than expected, Phillips said. It had lost a few teeth, and makeshift repairs from the past even included wooden replacements.”
This goes to show how expensive the upkeep on outdoor décor can be – if its hundreds of years old!
