Restoration


In the late 1980s The Tenney GateHouse was in danger of collapsing. Structural supports had weakened the roof was so badly damaged that in some places the sky could be seen from the inside. A group of people met to see what could be done to save the building and the GateHouse Restoration Committee was formed.

Through a unique agreement the City, State and Methuen Historical Society worked together to secure the necessary funds, and by 1991 the the building was saved from collapse. It took another eight years to complete the interior but once it was complete the Tenney GateHouse became a showplace in which anyone from Methuen could be proud.

The following are a series of photographs showing the extensive work necessary to restore the building.



This photograph shows the Tenney GateHouse just before the interior restoration.




The basement was only hal
f the size of the building. A small crawl space took up the rest. In order to enlarge the basement and put in supporting columns the basement had to be excavated. A contractor is shown jack hammering some stones.




There was so much dirt a small backhoe was called in to to do the work.










Utilities were updated to include an HVAC system. This was located in the newly excavated space in the basement.


 

















Before the restoration the floor joists were resting on the exterior wall made of fieldstone. because of this the roof and floor were putting so much stress on the exterior walls that it caused the walls to bow out. The contractors had to build an interior support system which would support the roof and floors independent of the exterior walls. The fieldstone exterior were then fastened to the interior structure.








Once the structural problems were addressed it came time to work on the interior. The Methuen Historical Society was fortunate to have the Greater Lawrence Vocational School take on the project as their class project. In the course of learning about framing an interior of a house, they wired the building for electricity and built all of the interior walls.



One of the outstanding features of the building was the stained glass window and hand cut granite lintel over the main entrance. When the framing began the project was modified to show the window and some of the fieldstone in the interior.












With the walls completed by the Vocational School the fun part began. Volunteers and sub contractors spent many hours painting, staining and wallpapering the interior. Some of the unique feature of the interior is historically reproduced wallpaper copied from of the original papers found in the building and a light fixture salvaged from the Grey Court Mansion.










One of the fortunate surprises was the return of the top of the mantelpiece shown in this photo. At the beginning of the project volunteers noticed small holes on the top of the existing fireplace and assumed a top once sat there. Many were unsure what the top looked like and all thought it was gone forever. As the project progressed someone approached the Historical Society and volunteered to return the top to its rightful place.

 







Just hours before the dedication volunteers were feverishly putting on the final touches.

 

 













In November 1998 the Methuen Historical Society, City and Commonwealth celebrated the opening of the newly restored Tenney GateHouse.

 









Last Updated 9/4/07