NUTFIELD HISTORY BLOG
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Tower Top Disassembly & Transport
Breaking down the Tower Top and moving its pieces to offsite storage.
After considerable preparation and planning (and waiting for the ground to freeze in this bizarre winter), Crane Day came on January 20, 2016.
The early morning temperature was 17°F and a fierce cold wind whipped up the hill. Preservation Timber Framing (PTF) gently lowered the pieces down, starting from the top:
- first the Upper Lantern, which was laid to rest intact on a trailer;
- then the large Lower Lantern, which was set on the ground for later disassembly;
- then the huge rigging timbers that had been applied for the Tower Top Takedown last September;
- then the bell, raised vertically out of its long-time home in the Belfry and placed on its own trailer for transport to Nottingham; and
- then finally some of the larger timbers from the Belfry itself.
The slow, tedious disassembly and documentation work then continued another two weeks or so after crane day.
Fresh snowfall on the clean, empty lawn.
All the Tower Top elements are now safely stored at PTF's facility in Nottingham. The major work to repair and restore the Top will mostly take place over next winter. PTF's experts will reuse every element possible, but most pieces will have to be freshly crafted using the decayed originals as models. They'll even seek out the same species of wood as used originally (mostly white oak), and mimic the old carpentry methods.
If all goes according to the current construction—and fundraising—plans, the team will rehabilitate the base of the Tower in the Spring and early Summer of 2017 (along with working on the roof and rest of the timber frame). Then towards the end of that Summer the restored Tower Top will be returned to the site, reassembled, and flown back to its proper home on top of the Tower Base.
First Parish's Pastor Dr. Rev. Deborah Roof is very much looking forward to pulling the long rope at the foot of the Tower staircase to ring the glorious swinging bell for the first time in decades.
Tower Takedown: Day 6, Thursday Aug. 20
Today the Preservation Timber Framing experts focused on removing the bed and cove molding covering the joint between the belfry and the tower base.
First they had to adjust the staging platforms to work at this lower level, not easy 65' in the air. Then they very carefully removed each piece of trim to keep it intact. As with all the old elements of the tower, every piece of molding gets numbered and cataloged and will go into storage for its eventual refurbishment and placement back on the finished tower.
The crew also began to plan and build the new roof cap that will seal the tower after the takedown. They'll build it on the ground, and the crane will fly it up after lowering the top. (Unfortunately there's still not a firm commitment date from the crane company, but we're aiming for around Sept. 2nd.)
Ed Bell and the PTF crew must work at another job site tomorrow and will return to FPC Monday. They secured the scaffold ladder and covered the tower window openings with plastic for the long weekend.
FPC volunteers have also been hard at work. Paul Dionne led the effort to remove the pulley and cable for the clock-driving weight box. That pulley was attached to the clock room ceiling/belfry floor, and had to come down for the top separation. We unfortunately won't be able to keep the clock running during the rehabilitation work, so restoring its function in a couple years is an exciting milestone to look forward to.
Thanks also to volunteers Ken Gould who cleared the brush from the mound of dirt sitting right where we'll probably place the tower top, and to Bill Wheeler and Harry Carter who are making that dirt mound disappear.
Steeple Coming Down at First Parish Church in East Derry, New Hampshire
The Tower Top Takedown is Sept. 9, 10:00am–12:00 noon. Major rehab efforts on the FPC Meetinghouse get started in late August, 2015, with the takedown of the damaged top part of the tower.
UPDATE — Takedown Day is now scheduled for Wed. Sept. 9. The "flying down" of the tower top should be between 10:00am and 12:00 noon. See more updates on the Project Page.
Press Release – EAST DERRY, NH – August 13, 2015 – A very visible step in the effort to preserve a significant New Hampshire landmark will soon take place with the lowering of the steeple at First Parish Church (FPC) in East Derry.
On or about Wednesday, August 26, timber frame experts will make the final detachments and a large crane will lower to the ground the top two sections of the tower on the historic FPC Meetinghouse. The belfry and lantern will be placed in secured staging on the lawn, and a temporary roof will be lifted up and installed above the clock, which will remain in place.
It will take two years to complete the restoration work and reunite the top sections with the rest of the tower.
Rehabilitating an Historic Landmark
Built in 1769, with the current tower added in 1824, the timber frame Meetinghouse appears to be in remarkably good condition but actually needs an estimated $1.5–$2M in repairs. The tower structure is especially deteriorated, and the top sections must come down now before the weather potentially takes them down this winter.
This work on the tower is part of a multi-year effort to rehabilitate the historic Meetinghouse, ideally in time for the 300th anniversary of the church and Derry’s founding in 2019. Plans call for:
- Lifting the building to rebuild its foundation and adding an adjacent elevator for full accessibility throughout the facility in 2016,
- Repairing the timber frame and slate roof in 2017, and
- Restoring and rehabilitating the interior finishes in 2018.
“The meetinghouse at First Parish is one of the most beautiful and significant 18th century New Hampshire buildings still in active use. We applaud and support the church’s dedication and perseverance in beginning this rehab effort, and look forward to seeing their great results over the next three years.”
The tower top itself will be repaired and restored while on the ground, and be reunited with the rehabilitated tower base after the Meetinghouse foundation work is completed in the fall of 2017.
Initial funding for the Tower Takedown and early rehab projects comes from years of preservation donations and a recent $800,000 capital campaign drive within the church. A community-oriented fundraising effort launching soon and various grants will hopefully contribute towards the remaining costs; FPC has submitted a 2015 NH state LCHIP application to cover part of the $300,000 estimated cost of rehabilitating the tower alone.
“Our church has been a trustworthy steward of ‘The Old Meetinghouse on the Hill’ for two and a half centuries,” said the Rev. Dr. Deborah Roof, pastor of First Parish Church. “We look forward to sharing this rewarding challenge with the community through several dramatic rehabilitation projects that all begin now with taking down the damaged parts of the steeple.”
About the FPC Meetinghouse
“The First Parish Church Meetinghouse is one of the most significant and inspiring timber framed structures in New England. The peaceful removal of the damaged belfry and lantern frames from the tower begins a comprehensive and thoughtful preservation of the entire historic structure. We look forward to working closely with FPC as they ready the building for their 300th birthday in 2019.”
The current FPC Meetinghouse was constructed in 1769 to replace an earlier structure built by the area’s first settlers. It has served as a civic, community, and religious center for almost 250 years, and today is home to the vibrant First Parish Congregational Church UCC (United Church of Christ). Along with two modern FPC buildings, the Meetinghouse is host to concerts, social gatherings, history events, a preschool, and the regular meetings of dozens of community groups.
“The First Parish Church is the cornerstone of our towns founding. It stands high on the hill where the first settlers lived and has been a consistent reminder of our great heritage. I’m so excited to see the preservation project get underway and look forward to watching it bring new life to the building.”
With its hilltop location along a heavily traveled road, the Meetinghouse epitomizes the classic New England village church and is a well-known and much-appreciated regional landmark. It anchors the East Derry Historical District—placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982—and is thought to be the oldest structure in town and one of the oldest New England meetinghouses still operating.
Learn more about First Parish Church, the Meetinghouse’s history, the multi-year rehabilitation project, and how to contribute by visiting www.fpc-ucc.org.
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First Parish Congregational Church, UCC
47 E. Derry Rd., P.O. Box 114, East Derry, NH 03041 • (603) 434-0628
Tower Top Takedown
Update on the Tower Top Takedown plans and schedule.
As we write this in July, 2015, we’re reviewing the Tower Takedown contract and project details with Preservation Timber Framing (PTF, Arron Sturgis’ company). The tentative schedule is:
- Build Scaffolding Around the Tower — Aug. 10–14
- Execute Rigging and Prep Work — Aug. 17–21
- Takedown Day — Aug. 26 (+/- a day)
For the Takedown Day, we expect a large crane to be positioned in the small Noyes/Meetinghouse parking lot. It will extend across the roof to lower the Belfry and Lantern together to a waiting wooden base on the north (street) side lawn. The bell and its cradle will be removed and stored, and the open top of the Tower Base will get sealed with a temporary roof flown up by the crane.
(We hope that the weight system that drives the Tower Clock can later be attached to this temporary roof to restore the time-telling function, but haven’t determined this for sure yet.)
The Tower Top should be on the ground for about two years, waiting for the Foundation Rehab project then the Tower Base and Tower Top repairs to be completed. We haven’t yet selected its exact location on the lawn, and are working with the Derry Planning Board to make sure everyone is happy with this. We intend to suitably fence off the Top for security, and may also illuminate it at night.
The projected costs for the Takedown are:
Rigging & Staging $29,500
Tower Disconnect & Fly (Crane Day) $16,300
Temporary Base & Roof $6,590
Documentation of Conditions $4,700
Total: $57,090
We’ll use current Meetinghouse Rehab funds to pay for this. The LCHIP grant application we submitted in June includes this as the first of four Tower Rehab phases: the total project cost is projected as $301,211, and we requested $125,000 towards this from LCHIP. (This is a very competitive grant process and we won’t know the outcome until December; see the July Newsletter or any BAC member for details.)
The Takedown Day marks a significant FPC milestone. We’ll be sure to spread the word as soon as it is firmly scheduled, and will arrange for safe viewing for those who can attend.
The Takedown will also be a very visible sign to the community of our multi-year dedication to preserving this important regional landmark. We’ll work with local media in advance to hopefully achieve good press coverage for the Takedown.