Starr Library
Middlebury College • Middlebury, Vermont
2006- 2008

The Starr Library renovation/restoration project was Liszt Historical Restoration's biggest challenge to date. Although our portion and scope of the job was largely confined to the restoration of the existing building, we also were responsible for salvaging the marble veneer and various decorative marble elements such as cornice units and coins. These were to be used for the repair of the old building, where these features had been removed or were damaged beyond repair.

The old building was build about 1900, and in the 1960’swas renovated and redesigned. During this process large areas and many details were removed or destroyed, the remaining areas were treated without concern as they were never suppose to be seen again. The result was that the marble veneer was drilled, cut, hammered, shot full of fasteners, rebar imbedded and concrete slabs poured at various levels, concrete slurry spilled all over anything that remained. The two component cornices at the top of the elevations were removed and concrete slab poured with rebar embedded at the top, with concrete slurry again spilling over everything below. Door openings and fire places were demolished to make way for an elevator shaft and chase ways for plumbing, electrical and HVAC were cut everywhere without any consideration for any future value of the original marble work. In short, the areas that were to be exposed and restored looked like they had been the victim of very intense air to ground assault, and heavy infantry combat. No one in the team knew what could be done to bring the building back to a presentable condition, and these areas were to be exposed both for exterior view and for the interior ‘Winter Garden’ areas that were to be large areas enclosed in glass that would bring an exterior environment inside. Needless to say these areas would be visually critical.

The architect and the construction management team came up with a novel solution: Hire someone who knew how to give them what they wanted and let them do it. The budget for this portion of the project had been determined by an inexperienced contractor who did not intent to bid on the project him self, leaving the project under valued from the beginning. Engelberth Construction Inc. negotiated with Liszt Historical Restoration for the project and work began in the late summer of 2006.

Work began with the salvage of marble components on the ‘60 structure attached to the original building that was being demolished to make way for the new additions. This was originally intended to be performed by the general contractor (Engelberth) but the project supervisor quickly realized that this in itself was very critical work, as the units must be removed with as little damage as possible. The project supervisor determined that the best people to remove these elements were those who would be reinstalling them. This was a very important decision that was a great benefit to the end result, as Liszt was hired for this phase, taking great care in the removal and storage of the marble elements so as to ensure they would be in good condition for future use.

The project consisted of several phases for Liszt. One of our responsibilities was the exterior cleaning of the historical marble, and this phase was also undertaken during the late summer and into the fall of ‘06. Cleaning a soft porous stone is not a matter of brute force or powerful chemical cleaners, but requires great care and attention for the stone, as many surfaces are carved and decorative, and these areas in particular are soft and delicate. Too much force will error these areas, and yet these areas are often the most in need of cleaning, having suffered the soiling effect and carbon build up particular to soft stone that rarely has any exposure to rain water that if isn’t runoff from dirty areas of roof or gutter systems usual helps clean the stone. Areas which do not receive any natural rain, yet are exposed to the many elements of the environment develop a very tenacious layer of carbon black dirt, very difficult to remove without eroding the stone. Here Liszt developed the proper cleaning system that used clean, hot water under mild pressure in the hands of a well-trained and diligent technician, using chemical cleaners only in small areas and in very limited quantities when necessary. But the most difficult and critical phase of the cleaning was the many hundreds of man hours spent in tedious hand cleaning required to remove the cement slurry without damaging the tooled finish of the historical marble. This was not fun, but Liszt’s crew paid close attention and persevered in this task too. The results are beautiful and environmentally friendly, a great concern of Middlebury College and everyone involved.

The project called for approximately 80% of the marble areas to be replaced or patched, and this number was realized, although several window sills and lintels, door jam stones and other elements did have to be fabricated new, as these elements were not available form the salvaged phase. Liszt has all equipment, the experience and the creativity, so all but a few stone elements were not fabricated and modified on the job. The workhorses were a 5’ bridge saw and a 14” hydraulically powered ring saw, supplemented by a variety of smaller power and hand tools. All the large elements were removed by crane, but they were installed with block and tackle almost exclusively. Great care and attention to safety was required at every phase, some stone elements weighing well over 2000 lbs and were installed in very tight areas high above the deck. Liszt designed the installation procedure and the fastener systems for the project.

Winter of 2006/07 was largely devoted to the Winter Garden areas, as these areas were enclosed and heated. The restoration of the Winter Garden areas were complicated as many areas were in-filled and many openings covered, and the large two component cornice units had to be rebuilt using the salvaged units. This required making many critical cuts, compound angles for example using the handheld ring saw! This is not a simple task and if not performed nearly perfectly the result is a useless boat anchor and being short on cornice elements as the margin for error was slim. Liszt’s experience was invaluable and our craftsmen intelligent and studious, resulting in a near perfect result.

Matching the original mortar was critical as ever, and the original was unique in both color and profile. A very white color and low aggregate made the original extremely hard, too hard for the stone in fact. Liszt designed a more suitable mortar that matched the original very well and yet was softer that the stone itself, as the mortar should be, and we achieved a nearly 3 parts aggregate to one part binder as well. The mix was a combination of white portland cement and high calcium lime putty, and blended crushed limestone and fine-screened sand. The profile of the mortar joint was a thin raised half circle. There was nothing to be bought that would produce this profile so Liszt made the necessary slickers and perfected the technique in their use.

Marble patching is something approaching an art. Nearly anyone can install the patching material when properly trained, but making the patches ‘invisible’ is the key. Liszt is certified/trained with Cathedral Stone repair mortars and these were used extensively. But marble is a highly decorative stone, consisting of many hues and natural grain patterns, and if patches are only a solid color (as the patching mortar is) the result is visually insulting to the beauty of the surrounding stone. A great deal of the success of the finished project was ridding on Liszt’s ability to make nearly invisible marble patches, and here Liszt turned to the ‘paper-pusher’ in our office, Peggy List. Peggy has many years of decorative and special effects painting experience that ranges from commercial finishes and for many private homes to areas of the State House in Montpelier. Here Peggy’s talent proved to be the key to success. Everyone from subcontract laborer to College representative, architect to building conservation consultant was amazed by Peggy’s ability to mask repairs. Of course, the surface color and texture were critical, as the marble patches required a tooled profile that matched the original stone.

Great pressure rode of the restoration of the original library building itself. If the original building were not restored with proper care and skill, the effect on the whole project would be degrading. Everything came together to produce excellent results, and it was clear that Liszt Historical Restoration was indeed the key to providing the centerpiece of this large and complex renovation project.

Liszt Historical Restoration greatly enjoyed working with all involved. Engelberth Construction was a pleasure to work for and provided an easy and reliable support for us, including a smooth and painless management team on every level. The architect and the building conservation consultant were both extremely diligent and yet very open to our procedures and recommendations, providing only a beneficial and supportive influence when necessary and never interfered or attempted to override our vision at any time. This is a rare and valuable spirit in management and it was also encouraged and supported by the Owner’s Representative from the College, who was critical in providing a smooth and clear pathway for success.

In the end, the goal was to restore the original building to a high level that would provide the centerpiece flanked by the large new wings on both sides. The management and owner decided that this would only be achieved by hiring the right restoration company and then let them do their job with little or no interference and adequate support. Hire an expert, and don’t micromanage him. This was exactly what they did, and the results are beautiful.

The restoration of the Starr Library at Middlebury College could be used as a template for success in similar restoration projects. But it was the people from the top down that made it the success it is.

The restoration was managed on every level by Paul List, and special thanks to Liszt’s two key craftsmen/ foremen: Tom Corr and David Okalida, who were largely responsible for the work itself. And to Peggy List, who was again the ‘secret weapon’ and the ‘ace in the hole’.