The Dawson house, which was a stylish “mansion” in Pittsburgh is to be restored for its historical significance with its later owner, Mary Caldwell Dawson. The house was built around 1894 in what has been described as the Queen Anne Style. The Pennsylvania Historical Society describes the Queen Anne style with its distinctive characteristics as follows:
Queen Anne Style 1880 – 1910
History
For many, the Queen Anne style typifies the architecture of the Victorian age. With its distinctive form, abundance of decorative detail, corner tower, expansive porches and richly patterned wall surfaces, the Queen Anne style is easy to identify. High style Queen Anne buildings are often considered local landmarks, ornate and showy attention getters. This style is present in communities across the country in numerous variations of form and detail. It was the most popular style for houses in the period from 1880 to 1900 but is often employed for large scale public buildings as well.
The style was first created and promoted by Richard Norman Shaw and other English architects in the late 19th century. The name refers to the Renaissance style architecture popular during the reign of England’s Queen Anne (1702-1714). The Queen Anne style is more closely related to the medieval forms of the preceding Elizabethan and Jacobean eras in England. The style became popular in the United States using pattern books and the publishing of the first architectural magazine “The American Architect and Building News.”
The Queen Anne style evolved from those early English designs to become a distinctly American style with numerous, sometimes regional variations. The use of three-dimensional wood trim called spindle work was an American innovation made possible by the technological advances in the mass production of wood trim and the ease of improved railroad transport. While the Queen Anne style can take a variety of forms, certain key elements are commonly found. Queen Anne buildings almost always have a steep roof with cross gables or large dormers, an asymmetrical front façade, and an expansive porch with decorative wood trim. A round or polygonal front corner tower with a conical roof is a distinctive Queen Anne feature on many buildings of this style. Wall surfaces are usually highly decorative with variety of textures from shingles to half timbering, to panels of pebbles or bas relief friezes.
Using this text, it is easy to see how the Dawson house is representative of this architectural style and was built within its time frame in history. The building was, in fact, considered a showplace by its original owner and photographs from soon after it was built clearly illustrate the three-dimensional façade characteristics, intricate details of the facades, coupled with steeply pitched rooflines and a corner tower. The question before us today is how best to restore this magnificent Victorian home.
The best reference for restorations for any historic property, especially one with significant historical context, is the Secretary of the Interior Standards for the Treatment of Historic Structures. Developed by the National Park Service, the document consists of four treatment standards: Preservation, Rehabilitation, Restoration, and Reconstruction. The guidelines from the Secretary are outlined below:
The Guidelines are intended as an aid to assist in applying the Standards to all types of historic buildings. They are not meant to give case-specific advice or address exceptions or unusual conditions. They address both exterior and interior work on historic buildings. There are four sections, each focusing on one of the four treatment Standards: Preservation, Rehabilitation, Restoration, and Reconstruction. Each section includes one set of Standards with accompanying Guidelines that are to be used throughout the course of a project.
Preservation is defined as the act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of an historic property. Work, including preliminary measures to protect and stabilize the property, generally focuses upon the ongoing maintenance and repair of historic materials, and features rather than extensive replacement and new construction. The limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and other code-required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a preservation project. However, new exterior additions are not within the scope of this treatment. The Standards for Preservation require retention of the greatest amount of historic fabric along with the building’s historic form.
Rehabilitation is defined as the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values. The Rehabilitation Standards acknowledge the need to alter or add to a historic building to meet continuing or new uses while retaining the building’s historic character.
Restoration is defined as the act or process of accurately depicting the form, features, and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in its history and reconstruction of missing features from the restoration period. The limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and other code-required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a restoration project. The Restoration Standards allow for the depiction of a building at a particular time in its history by preserving materials, features, finishes, and spaces from its period of significance and removing those from other periods.
Reconstruction is defined as the act or process of depicting, by means of new construction, the form, features, and detailing of a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure, or object for the purpose of replicating its appearance at a specific period of time and in its historic location. The Reconstruction Standards establish a limited framework for recreating a vanished or non-surviving building with new materials, primarily for interpretive purposes.
Based on what we presently know about the house, its history, and how it wants to be reimagined as a living museum, it may be best to employ the Rehabilitation Standard. This would preserve the house in its original form but would allow for alterations or additions to suit the needs for a museum versus a home. Care must be taken to ensure that the building is preserved using the highest and best construction techniques while retaining as much original building material as possible. Replacement materials should be equal to the original in terms of composition, color, sourcing, if possible, and installation. Certainly, modern codes will need to be followed and new HVAC and electrical systems incorporated. If new additions are contemplated, they should not try to replicate the historic building but should be “of their time,” making it clear to future generations that any new construction is not original to the building’s history. It is acceptable to reproduce elements of the building that are in fact missing or failing due to deterioration (such as the porch) and to replicate this part of the structure to the original design intention thus bringing the building back to its original glory.
To begin the project, the following steps should be undertaken soon to establish a baseline of the existing conditions so that a plan of action for rehabilitation can be put into place. The steps I suggest are:
- Using the plans that were drawn by City Studio in September of 2022, continue to document all aspects of the existing building’s dimensions vertically and horizontally, including those areas that may later be constructed for the new stair and elevator. Any specialized feature should also be drawn and recorded. This way an accurate record of the existing building is maintained.
- Photo-document the building inside and out with attention to key details and important aspects of the interior and exterior design. The photos should be referenced into the floor plans and elevations so they are clearly identifiable and can be used as reference materials as work begins on the building.
- Develop a list of the materials used on the exterior of the building from the foundations to the roof. Pay specific attention to the type of stone used in the foundation and try to determine its origin. Similarly, all windows should be documented as to their operational uses (casement, double hung, etc.) and document their dimensions including the size and spacing of any muntin bars and trims. The roof materials should be closely examined to see if there are any original materials remaining from the 1890s.
- Search through historic building photographic archives in Pittsburgh to seek out early photos of the building and determine what, if anything, has been altered over the years. For example, was the roof initially slate and now it is shingles, etc.? Try and determine when the alterations occurred.
- With the porch missing, use any evidence to determine the detailing and column styles so that it can be reproduced accurately.
- With the assistance of a structural engineer, investigate the building for any signs of foundation failure and or structural issues in the upper stories. Document these so they can be rectified ASAP.
- Investigate with a Mechanical and Electrical Engineer the status of any present systems to be sure they are working properly and pose no immediate hazard to the building. Develop an approach to new systems integration that will not mar the building’s historic interior.
- Develop the plans for the proposed museum. The ones you currently have seem reasonable and well thought through. At this stage, at least a written approach should be developed of how the architect and builder would envision how the restorative work would take place in terms of sequence. It will be important to know at this point if you are applying for any Historic Preservation grants or historic tax credits, first, and to find out if they are even available to you as a non-profit organization, so that the work can be planned to conform with any regulatory requirements surrounding those funding sources.
- Source all the materials needed that are replacing or used for the repair of any damaged historic materials. Collect samples of the materials for refence.
- Develop the plans and describe to the contractor the level of care to be used during construction to not damage any existing “fabric” of the building.
- Meet with the local building authority and any historic regulatory agencies involved to be sure they are on board with any of the alterations and or restoration methods that are likely to be employed in the design and construction.
- Above all “DO NO HARM!”
Gary Johnson, AIA
President/ CEO
The Mary Cardwell Dawson House
Pittsburgh, PA
Notes on Restoration for Dawn Carroll,
by Cambridge Seven Associates
4.29.24