HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-10-24, Page 21THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013. PAGE 21. Remodeled library to feature higher ceilings, transoms
Continued from page 20
before the project began, they would
assume that the windows were
placed in a pattern, so that was
Rutledge’s first challenge.
However, once he began
investigating the building, one he
had known since he was young, he
was shocked to discover that there
was no rhyme or reason to the
windows’ placement around the
building.
“The building would give the
impression that the windows were
all regularly placed and almost all
the same,” Rutledge said. “Not true.
That tripped even me up.”
Once he found that there was no
pattern to the windows, he was free
to place windows in the addition as
he saw fit. The key, he said, was to
connect the new windows and the
old windows, which he did with
what he calls “spider transoms” at
the top of the tall windows.
The ceiling of the library had been
lowered in the 1970s, Rutledge said,
so he raised them back up to just
under 12 feet.
Now with higher windows, he
could add the transoms, which are a
modern spin on a feature he found
embedded in the building’s walls
from decades earlier.
When work began on the library,
Rutledge said the contractors
discovered the original transoms
atop the windows in the wall, still in
good shape.
“During construction, they found
these transoms still embedded inside
the wall,” Rutledge said. “We kept
them and we hope to use them inside
somehow.”
Rutledge only knew about the
original transoms from the one
historical photo he has of the library
to work from.
When trying to restore a building
to its former glory, or to discover its
previous incarnations, historic
photos are a priceless resource,
Rutledge says, that he doesn’t
always have the benefit of
consulting.
When taking on a project like the
Brussels Library, Rutledge says oneof the architectural guidelines he’ssupposed to follow is to notduplicate the past, but to be
sympathetic to it.
One example where he had to
deviate slightly, he says, is the
pilasters on the outside of the
building.
Rutledge designed pilasters for the
new portion of the building, but onthe old building, the pilasters onlyrun along the top floor of thebuilding. On the addition, Rutledge
says, his new pilasters, while similar
in appearance to the originals, will
run all the way down to the
building’s foundation.
With guidelines being made to be
Hot Rock Panel
ELLIOTT NIXON
INSURANCE BROKERS INC.
5 GENERATIONS
SINCE 1910
Blyth, Ont. N0M 1H0 519-523-4481
MEMBER OF HURON INSURANCE
MANAGERS
— GROUP —
John, Bev, Rick, Anne & Jeff Elliott,
Darren, Barb, Jackie, Bryan, Ruth-Ann, Amanda,
Mandy, Janice, Elizabeth & Kurt
Always notify
your insurance
company of your
home
improvements and
updates
Sympathetic to the past
With the renovation and expansion of the Brussels Library, or any heritage property, architect
John Rutledge says you’re bound to be “sympathetic” to the past, but not to repeat it, which
can be seen here, where the top of the library, built in 1910, meets Rutledge’s addition, built
earlier this year. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
AD{TS2228808}
Continued on page 22