CITY OF GLOUCESTER COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE BUDGET FORM Project Name: Masonry and Palladian Window Preservation at Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House Applicant: Historic New England SOURCES OF FUNDING Source Amount Community Preservation Act Fund $10,000 (List other sources of funding) Private donations $4,000 Historic New England Contribution $4,000 Total Project Funding $18,000 PROJECT EXPENSES* Expense Amount Please indicate which expenses will be funded by CPA Funds: Masonry Preservation $13,000 CPA and Private donations Window Preservation $2,200 Historic New England Project Subtotal $15,200 Contingency @10% $1,520 Private donations and Historic New England Project Management $1,280 Historic New England Total Project Expenses $18,000 *Expenses Note: Masonry figure is based on a quote provided by a professional masonry company. Window figure is based on previous window preservation work done at Beauport by Historic New England’s Carpentry Crew. Historic New England Beauport, The Sleeper-McCann House CPA Narrative, Page 1 Masonry Wall and Palladian Window Repair Historic New England respectfully requests a $10,000 grant from the City of Gloucester Community Preservation Act to aid with an $18,000 project to conserve a portion of a masonry wall and a Palladian window at Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House, a National Historic Landmark. Project Narrative Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House, was the summer home of one of America’s first professional interior designers, Henry Davis Sleeper (1878-1934). Sleeper began constructing Beauport in 1907 and expanded it repeatedly over the next twenty-seven years, working with Gloucester architect Halfdan M. Hanson (1884-1952). Perched on a rock ledge overlooking Gloucester Harbor, Beauport became Sleeper’s retreat, backdrop for entertaining, a professional design showcase, and an inspiration to all who visited. After Sleeper’s death in 1934, Beauport was purchased by Charles and Helena Woolworth McCann, who left most of Sleeper’s arrangements and collections intact. The McCann’s children donated Beauport to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), now Historic New England, in 1942. The house has been in operation as a popular historic house museum with guided tours and special events since that time. Fig. 1: Above, The exterior of Beauport, the Sleeper- McCann House. The complex exterior footprint and massing of Beauport is a product of an intricate interior plan. Additions and alterations were inspired by themes such as a colonial kitchen, a glass collection, and salvaged architectural fragments from colonial homes. Sleeper and Hanson’s collaboration resulted in an eclectic and whimsical masterpiece comprised of over forty rooms with numerous motifs. Sleeper decorated every room to express his highly personal interpretation of a specific period of American life, from the time of Plymouth down through the Revolution and the early Historic New England Beauport, The Sleeper-McCann House CPA Narrative, Page 2 Masonry Wall and Palladian Window Repair Republic. The house is filled with Sleeper’s collections of glass, hooked rugs, toleware, redware, silhouettes, folk art, and memorabilia. Rooms are erected around whole sections of paneling or timbers taken from demolished colonial houses to continue the desired effect of an arrangement with the intent to evoke amazement in visitors. Beauport is a noted link in the development of the museum period room. An important example of this is Sleeper’s influence on the creation of Henry Francis du Pont’s Winterthur Museum in Delaware. Historic New England interprets the house and landscape today as it looked in Sleeper’s time, except for the China Trade Room, which preserves McCann-era alterations. Beauport became a backdrop for entertaining. Sleeper and his Eastern Point neighbors were leading members of “Dabsville,” a social, artistic, and intellectual colony that flourished in the first third of the twentieth century and both shaped and publicized Beauport. Dabsville itself was named for Sleeper and his summer neighbors, Joanna Stewart Davidge, proprietor of a New York finishing school; Abram Piatt Andrew, Harvard economist; Cecilia Beaux, the acclaimed portrait painter; and Caroline Sinkler, Southern heiress and arts patron. The acknowledged reigning doyenne was Isabella Stewart Gardner. Prominent guests included John Singer Sargent, Henry James, George Arliss, Henry Lee Higginson, Paul Manship, Childe Hassam, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Helen Hayes, Ethel Barrymore, Stephen Vincent Benet, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry Francis du Pont, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Mrs. William Howard Taft. Today, Beauport, Historic New England’s most-visited house museum among thirty-seven preserved and shared in five states, is a popular travel destination in the City of Gloucester, a National Historic Landmark, and a unique educational and cultural resource. In 2018, Beauport hosted 6,580 visitors for tours, events, and programs. Admission for residents of the City of Gloucester is free of charge. Historic New England Beauport is one of thirty-seven historic properties owned and operated by Historic New England, ranging from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries. Founded in 1910 as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, Historic New England’s mission is to save and share New England’s past to engage and inform present and future generations. We engage diverse audiences in developing a deeper understanding and enjoyment of New England home life by being the national leader in collecting, preserving, and using significant buildings, landscapes, archives, stories, and objects from the past to today. We offer historic house tours, education programs, public events, exhibitions, publications, and other forms of outreach through our website and social media. Historic New England offers five distinct yet interrelated program areas: homes, farms and landscapes; artifacts, archives and stories; preservation services, community engagement and leadership; and school and youth programs. Project Description Because of the complex alterations and additions Sleeper made to Beauport as well as exposure to nature’s harsh elements at the ocean’s edge, exterior preservation work is nearly continual. Historic New England has completed preservation projects for several sections of the masonry façade and has now turned its attention to the section of the building with the Palladian window. The brick in this section is failing structurally and is causing stress to the Palladian window, Historic New England Beauport, The Sleeper-McCann House CPA Narrative, Page 3 Masonry Wall and Palladian Window Repair which is also in need of wood repairs. The proposed project in this application addresses these issues. The exterior envelope of Beauport is comprised of a number of different finish materials including brick, stone, and wood shingles. Originally the building was finished with stucco but as the building evolved, brick became more fashionable and the stucco was removed. In its place a brick veneer was installed in 1912. Since the walls were only one brick thick, there were no stretcher bricks to provide a stable base. This makes the exterior wall vulnerable to separation and allows moisture to soak in and deteriorate the structural framing and house sill. A preservation campaign that began in 2003 included carefully labeling and removing bricks in problem areas; repairing the sills, frame, and sheathing; installing a new moisture barrier; and reinstalling the historic bricks. This has become the general methodology repeated elsewhere on the building however this latest section has been determined to be different. Recently, it was observed that the section of masonry in this proposal is failing. Located on the southwest side of the house at the South Gallery gable end, this section of Beauport was completed sometime during 1920-1921. Alterations involving the South Gallery included extending the room to its current measurements and adding a Palladian window. Unlike the other masonry sections on the house that were only one wythe thick, this wall is believed to be constructed of at least two wythes due to the depth of the window casing. The use of any tie backs or structural supports is not known however. Fig. 2: Above, The first floor plan of Beauport. Red Square indicates location of extension completed by Sleeper during 1920-1921. Red oval indicates location of the gable end where the brick wall is failing above the Palladian window. This wall is exhibiting signs of deterioration through a visible step crack beginning at the course directly above the top left corner of the window. The crack continues northeast and spans a total of six courses. While the majority of the crack follows the mortar joints, two courses each have Historic New England Beauport, The Sleeper-McCann House CPA Narrative, Page 4 Masonry Wall and Palladian Window Repair one split brick. This significant crack and outward projection of the bricks indicates this wall is being supported by the wood window frame, which is pushing in under the weight of the wall. This area, if left unattended, will not only further damage the wood window, but also potentially pose a safety concern if the wall fails. Fig. 3-4: Left, Exterior view of the gable end off the South Gallery. Right, Detail of detached brick. In order to remediate this issue, the bricks will be labeled and removed, a proper window lintel will be installed above the window frame to provide support to the wall above, and the removed bricks will be re-installed in their original locations. Mortar analysis has already been completed and the formula will be matched. Spot pointing to areas below the window sill will also be done to further eliminate moisture infiltration. Since movement of the masonry wall has impacted the wood window below, the project will also include window conservation. Cracks have formed in the wood due to the stress of the masonry wall, which has allowed moisture to deteriorate sections of the frame and the sill. The window is also showing signs of paint and glazing loss.