Inspections, Monitoring, Condition Assessments, and Treatment

Roberta Laynor applies a flexible epoxy treatment
to Timson House framing.

In the late 1970s the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation established an annual inspection of structures for the purpose of identifying conservation needs at an early stage. The inspection process was revamped and expanded in 1982 by Thomas H. Taylor, Chief Architectural Conservator, and is now fully integrated with the Foundation’s maintenance and conservation programs. At Colonial Williamsburg an annual inspection is conducted of the exteriors of 600 structures on 301 acres in the Historic Area. In addition, every exhibition building receives a thorough interior inspection.

Inspections often reveal problems that require closer examination. In addition to normal decay mechanisms, side effects from events and activities in the Historic Area such as cannon fire and firework displays can result in damage to the structures in the collection. Architectural conservators monitor these conditions and recommend adjustments in the programs and buildings in order to minimize the risk to the historic structures.

When problems arise that require treatment, architectural conservators undertake condition assessments and treatment proposals to establish the extent of the problem and its impact on the historic structure, the rate of decay/deterioration, and measures necessary to correct the problem and repair the damage.

Prior to conservation treatments, a conservation professional undertakes a thorough examination and creates appropriate records regarding the object or structure, including, but not limited to: its condition, its environment, its significance, and its history. Based on their research, the architectural conservators design conservation treatments to both arrest the decay and/or deterioration of building materials and also to repair the loss or damage that has occurred. The advantages of the materials and methods chosen are balanced against their potential adverse effects on future examination, scientific investigation, treatment, and function (see Benjamin Powell Smokehouse report as an example of this process). The conservators benefit from consultations with colleagues around the world on a wide range of preservation and conservation issues. They also participate in professional workshops where new techniques are presented or current practices are evaluated. They advise historic property owners and colleagues in the museum field concerning appropriate preservation techniques and conservation treatments.

The conservation activities are documented in reports so that there is a permanent record of the treatment. Recent projects include work on the Benjamin Powell Smokehouse, Bracken Tenement, and the St. George Tucker House.

Colonial Williamsburg staff members inspect the
impact of nearby cannon firing on historic glass at
the Grissell Hay Lodging House.

The engineering firm Atkinson-Noland identified
internal voids in the masonry walls of the Benjamin
Powell Smokehouse using infrared thermography.