Monday, December 31, 2007

9:15 AM
With the tables and chairs unpacked and scattered throughout, it was almost no time until the first customers were seated.


These three are actually Jason, Troy, and Walt, and without their energy and dedication, there is no way we would have opened tonight. Thanks, Guys! (Oh, they said to be sure and tell you that they are just on break.)

10:45 AM
Terry hangs the stage curtains, with supervision and help from Julie.



Meanwhile, Mike is assembling the shelving unit which holds the sound system,



and Vicky is working on the temporary bar top, sanding and staining it.



1:30pm
Craig came in with Art and worked on more tables. Art was already hung - over the food table, and on the south wall.



Joe and Mike put up the stage lights, and then testing began on the sound system.



3:34 pm
Finally the plumbers turned on the water! We were through cleaning without water, and going half way around the block to get to a restroom.


Well, that's what we thought. The water coming through the wall and training across the floor said otherwise. Repairs began immediately.

4:00 pm
Wait staff arrive for their last minute instructions.


They seem to be running around in a tizzy, you say? Yup.

4:30 pm
Construction crews were packed, the trash was gone, and one of the last signs of construction, our 'chandelier' was taken down.



The inspectors came in one by one and took their clipboards for a tour. Christine brought the food; Cindy brought supplies. Ryan put up the thermostat and changed the furnace filter. I left to go home for dinner before dressing up and returning to the Washington Soup Kitchen's New Year's Eve party.


Outside, the snow had stopped and it was cold and clear.

Happy New Year, Washington!

Dec. 30 Comes and Goes Quickly

There were lots of helpers of all ages and may things were accomplished.


Booths in place √


Tables assembled √


Chairs unpacked √


It took some serious discussion, and two tries to get the back bar in place.


Painting stopped about 10:00 pm.

Saturday Noon

Exit door with lighted exit signs √



Lavatories in the Ladies √ (flooring and stalls and um…'fixtures' √ too)



Back room prep and cleanup area - no √ yet



But the lights are ON!



and the bar is almost √


The lighted effect is just a work light right now, but the whole bar will be lighted when it's finished.

Race Against Time!

Grand Opening New Year's Eve ~ click for details ~


The glass block bar is under construction. Photo taken Dec. 27.


Lighting over the booths. Photo taken Dec. 27.


All important feature in any entertainment venue. Photo taken Dec. 27.

Painting is in progress in areas that have been finished. All construction crews are working as fast as they can.

Tables & chairs & booths √
Sinks √
Fire alarm system √
Food and beverages √
Entertainment hired √
Stemware & plates √
Paper goods √

"Save panic for last."

The Chamber's Chambers

Be sure to click on the photo so you can read the notes.

Let's just say that there has been a LOT of drywall compound applied this week, but since it all looks the same, one photo will tell the story. The scaffold is a construction marvel all by itself.

This view is from the south end of the mezzanine, looking toward the front door on the main floor. That's the NEW front door, located at 205 W. Main Street. The small rectangle of light is the sidelight by the door.

If you're looking from outside, the two arched windows are the two nearest the back of the building (west).

The Work Goes On

Starting in the basement, we can see the dramatic effects of a work party. Friends and relatives arrived last weekend and produced part of a walk-in cooler



and reinstalled most of the metal ceiling. The furnace and ductwork are installed and working, too.



The special wall surfaces are going up in the prep area



and the rainbow truck has delivered miles of wire for the sound system.

Glass Block Windows Are In!

Cool, huh?


Although there is still no trim around the windows, and they need some caulk, the overall look is there.

The same effect will be used in the office suite conference room to allow some natural light into the interior room.

Progress note: on the main floor, for as long as there has been construction activity, there have been "doors" where the last stud in the common walls were omitted so materials and people could pass from one unit to the next easily. Today, Commercial 3 was officially cut off from the traffic flow. If we want to go into that unit, we have to go outside and use the door. We're expecting the same act of completion between Commercial 1 and the Office Suite next week.

Apartment For Rent

Those of you in the local area know how to get in touch with one of us, and we'd love to show it!

When you visit, you can see just how spacious the living area really is. The ceiling is 12 feet high, the arched windows are 10 feet high, and the total area of the apartment is just over 1400 square feet. Because the windows face north, with a view of the Court House, the natural light is gentle and steady.

What else can I tell you? I could mention the five closets and the kitchen pantry. I suppose I could remind you that there's a place for a stacking washer/dryer. Maybe you didn't know that there's a new roof with R-30 insulation. Did I tell you about the cool kitchen cabinets - the ones with the drawers that can't be slammed shut? and the pull-out lower shelves? and the spice rack? and the extra deep, double bowl sink? What about the seated shower in the bathroom - did you know about that? and the lavatory that's actually human height so you don't have to stand on your head to brush your teeth?

Gasoline! This might seem somewhat off the topic, but if you lived in this apartment, you could walk to the grocery store, the post office, several churches, city hall, and numerous other offices and stores. You might have to start you car once a week just to keep the battery alive!

Stick 'Em Up!

Tim and Mike have started the slow, overhead task of rehanging the metal ceiling in the basement. It's one of those jobs that works best if there are a couple of people helping prepare the 2 x 4 foot tiles, and a couple of people on ladders fastening the tiles to the ceiling. They have to work when the regular crew has gone home for the day, so they start about 4:00 hint, hint!

One More Surprise

Just when you think that there isn't any place in the building where we haven't looked, here comes another discovery.



This wooden barrel was found in the cavity under the stairs that run from the back of the mezzanine up to the second balcony. Penneys kept the money up there, as many of you have recalled for us.

The barrel nearly escaped discovered, but just at the last minute, a carpenter spotted it and rescued it before he attached the piece of sheetrock that would have imprisoned it for another l-o-n-g time. We're guessing that it might have held nails, but there was no label and no evidence of what it might have contained.

Apartment Floors

The view from the kitchen in Apartment 2 has changed dramatically!


That big piece of equipment belongs to the floor sanding crew, who started the final transformation on Tuesday.

They have uncovered some beautiful pieces of maple. This close up view is just one example.

The darkness will disappear as the work progresses.

Scott finished the room divider just in time. This side is the china cabinet, and the other side is a book shelf.

It still needs its top, and the post that it surrounds isn't enclosed yet. Eventually, there will be electricity on the post so it can be used as a party buffet.

We Reach a Milestone

Three Alliant trucks



Two hardhats



and a partridge in … uh … nevermind.

After weeks of anticipation, we finally have full power. That means we have hot water in the apartments, and heat, and air conditioning (yipee?), and will be able to have the maple floors sanded and finished, and the power saws won't compete with drills and the grinders, and the lights and the fans will all work at once!

Progress Check

Sorry - Apartment 1 is taken.



In the basement, the drywall is beginning to show us the outlines of the room. Doesn't it look different without the stone walls, pipes, wires, and rafters?


The corner in the distance is where the stage will be.

What Did You Do This Week?

We had a full crew working on every aspect of the project this week, and I can imagine the conversations over Friday night pizza sound something like this.

"That basement ceiling is about half finished, but the parts that are left will take a lot of fitting."





"Getting all those feed lines installed for the sinks means we're almost finished with the rough-in work."

"We worked hard getting the electric panels into the main floor and basement, and made the primary connections between the new main panel and the individual units. It sure was tight in that little utility corridor!"



"Those new back stairs were great for bringing in materials. I'm really glad Troy's crew finished them before we got here."



"I can't believe how much sheetrock we lugged up those office stairs, but it really looks nice now."





Doesnt' it look great!!

This Way Out

Tough enough just climbing those tiny little steps, right?

Now bring this 1927 iron boiler upstairs with you! Fun.



So much fun, in fact, that this father & son team spent Saturday morning completing the task. The best part is that this is one more item that isn't going to the landfill. Instead, it will be refitted to heat a new house using a mix of really ancient, rather old, and modern technologies.

Step by Step, Things Are Coming Up

Troy is just removing the last of the floor joists to make headroom for the new exit stairs.


Outside, the last of the paint is about to disappear forever! There is still some touch up removal to do, then the final rinse for the whole building, and tuck pointing to do, but the end is in sight.

The area over the new doors and windows which is still painted white will be covered by an awning and a sign for the businesses that occupy these units.