What's Happening at 319 Washington Terrace?

A few years ago, Middletown residents successfully challenged a plan by Wesleyan to demolish two historic homes on Washington Terrace, the Jackson House on 319 Washington Terrace, and the Starr-Rand House at 329 Washington Terrace.

If you pass in the next few weeks you will see that work is being done on the Jackson House.  The house is being carefully stripped of its centuries of clapboard so that an interior superstructure of steel beams can be constructed, with the exterior then reconditioned and rebuilt to look as it has always looked since.




Here's how Wesleyan representative Joyce Topshe describes the work:

 I want to make sure the University and Community are aware of the process FIP Construction will be using to renovate 319 Washington Terrace. FIP Construction determined that the best method for renovating the existing house located at 319 Washington Terrace, is to meticulously remove the existing siding and trim that has deteriorated over the centuries beyond repair, and remove the most recent additions and roof, where by exposing original 1783 structure. Once the structure is exposed, large engineered panel gasket plates will be attached at the beam and post connections as required to carefully move the facades and lay them down. This sounds horrible and scary, however this is the best process for preserving the existing structure. The team will then have full access to install formwork for the new concrete foundation and space to install the new steel super-structure.  Once the super-structure is erected the original panelized façades will be secured to it and a new steel roof frame designed to support the new roof top mechanical equipment will be constructed.  The exterior walls will be framed and insulated to meet current energy requirements for R-value and new historical profiled wood frame and sash windows with insulated glass units will be installed along with new cedar clapboard siding and trim to match existing. 

In the next few weeks it will look like we removed the building. But, in fact we’re saving it. Attached to this email is a process diagram of the work showing the completed structure.

If you want to get a look at the building techniques and structure of the home when it was originally built in the eighteenth century, you may want to take a walk by soon.  

In other neighborhood news, a Victorian-era structure adjacent to the Flood Law Firm on Washington Street, is undergoing extensive renovation.  This stucture, along with two others on the block were targets of demolition when the city of Middletown, and Wesleyan University hatched a plan to build a strip-mall on the block with a Starbucks and a Chipotle's.  Both of those chains now have locations further West on Washington Street in a largely commercial section of the busy thoroughfare.  At the time of that plan, Wesleyan, who owned the building, declared that it was past being able to be renovated.  The Flood Law Firm, who now own the building, have demonstrated otherwise.