$4 million renovation project on Penn State’s Old Main bell tower nearing completion
Several months of construction and renovation for Old Main’s bell tower at Penn State is coming to an end.
The Old Main bell tower restoration project, which is the second phase of renovations for the Penn State landmark, included stone and brick masonry repointing, some stone replacement, repair and restoration, waterproofing for the portico and bell tower landings and new fall protection systems at several ladders, said Trey Miller, spokesman for Penn State’s Office of the Physical Plant.
OPP Director Lisa Berkey told the CDT in July that Penn State prepared a master plan in 2008 to identify architectural and buildings system issues and develop a “phased plan” to remedy those issues.
The project’s first phase included reconstruction of the East staircase and isolated slate shingle replacements, said Miller.
Crews from Masonry Preservation Services, Inc. began work on Old Main’s bell tower in May, when they erected scaffolding. Chicago-based architectural firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates performed exterior survey work in 2017 and developed a strategy for the bell tower restoration project.
Currently, crews are wrapping up work on restoring the light well and speaker landing, said Miller.
The project is slated for completion by the end of this month, when scaffolding and the stair tower on the back side of Old Main will come down, he said.
Though originally budgeted for $3.5 million, the project total reached $4 million, funded through the capital plan and major maintenance budget.
“As with many historic restoration projects, some in-field conditions differed from what was originally anticipated, such as encountering several additional material layers under the roof membrane,” Miller said. “Also, the university took advantage of the improved access with the scaffold to address items outside of the original project scope such as surface cleaning of the masonry dome.”
Future phases for Old Main’s preservation “will be developed as required,” said Miller. The total number of project phases and their timing have not yet been identified.
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