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.

Progress in the Basement

I'm happy - no, thrilled!! - to say that the mud in the basement has been conquored by concrete. There are still small traces of it all over the floor, but it's not grabbing people's boots around the ankle and pulling them to a standstill. It's not accumulating in clumps the size of baseballs on the steps leading upstairs. It has been removed, leveled, drained, sumped, tamped, and buried under a new floor.



This view shows the drains for the women's and men's restrooms, along with the chalklines for the restroom walls. In the background you can see the height of the floor when we started this mess. That area will remain like it is and be the prep area for the Soup Kitchen.
OH! Yes, it will have walls and a ceiling, and be clean - oh my yes! I mean the floor level will remain the same.




This stack of lumber will become the exit stairs, and when that's ready, I'll show you how it connects to the new exit.

The New Exit to the Alley

Part of the remodeling for the Soup Kitchen in the basment includes lowering the exit to the alley.



The blue arrow shows the how high the floor was above the alley. The foundation was removed from that level down to alley level, a new floor will be poured (Monday, I think), and then stairs will be built from the basement to the new exit.

Also in progress this week ~

Johnson Controls spent time on the roof getting the air conditioners ready.

Insulation was installed between the basement ceiling and the main floor, primarily as a sound barrier. We hope to see sheet rock on the ceiling next week.

Zager's labor force dug in the drains and lift station for the basement restrooms.

Another section of paint was removed from the north wall.

Everyone went home tired every night. I call that a successful week!

Clearly Better!

Last week ~



and now ~


~ the office suite has its own entrance.


So does the lobby of the Soup Kitchen ~


[I Photoshopped the red framing to complete the wall between the lobby and Commercial 3.]

There's a great view of the Courthouse from Commercial 3 ~



The down side of all this glass? Everyone can see our stacks of stuff, and it isn't pretty. I guess somebody is going to have to do something about that.

Installing New Storefronts: Week Two

Monday Morning, 8:00 AM



Monday Morning, 10:00 AM



Thursday Afternoon
Door #3 - Entrance to the Office Suite



We had been told that the windows and doors would be installed on Monday afternoon, and "tomorrow", and on Friday. Hm-m-m.

Another Historic Discovery

Part of the process of building an new exit at the rear of the building involves removing a large panel of electrical equipment which is no longer in use. When the plywood back board came down, there was the sign.



A quick trip to the genealogy library and a peek in the 1910 city directory revealed that W. E. Chilcote had an office at 215 W. Main, and was selling life insurance there. He and his wife Minnie and their two children, Donald and Marie, lived at 208 E. Madison. The Sanborn Fire Map confirmed that 215 W. Main was at the same location in 1909 that it is today. (This matters because some of the addresses changed through the years.) Mr. Chicote passed away in 1928. His obituary says that he was a long time businessman in Washington, first with the dry goods store of Mayer and Chilcote, and then as an insurance agent.



Now class, who has a theory about why Mr. Chilcote's sign ended up as scrap wood used to close up a basement window?

How To Install New Storefronts

The method is quite simple, actually. Choose a blank wall, draw a door and a window with chalk on the wall, and call the pros. It worked for us, and it can work for you!

Step One
Remove the tin ceiling from the area where the brick wall will be cut. This is a job that's well suited to a retired teacher.



Step Two
Shore up the main floor in the basement, and every level above that. This is just two of many jacks that were used.



Step Three
Drill several holes in the wall above the location of the header beam. Each hole should be from 8 to 12 inches in diameter. That's not a coffee can, that's the drill bit!



Step Four
Gently slip needle beams into the holes, and shore them up on each side of the wall.



Step Five
Once all the shoring is in place, rev up the saw and cut a slot for the support beam. At this point, the cuts are not showing on the interior side yet.



Step Six
Remove the brick from the outside wall, leaving a layer of brick inside for support.


Step Seven
Place the beam on the elevator, being careful to align it with the opening.



Step Eight
With the beam securely aboard, crank the elevator up to the opening.



Step Nine
Carefully slide the beam into the slot, but be careful not to push too hard.



Step Ten

Finally, remove the final layer of brick on the interior. Tweak the installation as needed to level and plumb the beam.

This job goes on forever, but the party never ends…

Can you identify the party goers?

How 'bout a closer look ~

* Office Suite - Orientation and First Report

While we've been focusing on the apartments, Troy and his crew have been raising some dust on the main floor and mezzanine. The office suite is starting to take shape.

This photo shows the floor plan for the ground level portion of the office suite. The entrance from Main Street is at the top of the drawing. The main floor has a reception area, a conference room, a work area, and a restroom. If you compare this drawing to one that was posted last fall, you might notice a few changes, but this is the closest drawing to the expected outcome.



This drawing shows the private offices on the mezzanine. The yellow area to the right is the portion of the main floor work area that can be seen from the mezzanine.


I'll relate future photos to the numbers on the plan so you can get an indea of which direction we're looking. Unfortuately, my computer skills are not sharp enough to blend these two plans into a single image, so you'll have to mentally slide the two pieces together so there is just one dark green stairway.

All the construction has taken place on the mezzanine so far. The photo below is the view at the head of the stairs, looking toward Office 1; it's site #6 on the plan, but turned a bit farther to the right than the arrow shows.


This is from the same spot (#5), but turned to the left. It's the hallway between the railing and the offices.


This is the view from site # 7, inside Office 2 looking out over the mezzanine railing.

We Are Honored

Thank You!

Nearly? Almost? Just a Little More?

Our Open House was yesterday evening, and were very pleased to see so many visitors. On Monday morning, I was starting to think that we're never be ready, even though the definition of ready was turning into somthing like, "Hide it or take it downstairs." We had only half a floor in Apartment 1, and no countertops on the cabinets where we planned to serve food and drinks. It was truly the eleventh hour (11:00 AM, to be exact) when the countertops for Apartment 1 arrived, and don't they look great!



The kitchen floor was grouted just in time to move in the refrigerator and stove. Again, it looks fabulous! We got super cooperation from the contractors. They worked right up until the last minute, and then cleaned up beautifully.



Although the flooring wasn't quite all in place, it's gorgeous too.



I was too busy talking to our guests to take any photos during the open house, so I can't show you how nicely Amy from Jaz It Up! decorated the entry hall in Apartment 1. The furniture and decorative items she used made it seem homey and lived in. Thank you, Amy, for sticking with us!

How We Got This Far

I can attest that, in spite of all previous posts detailing what we've been doing to improve the building, we didn't do it alone. These people and companies were a big part of the project, and without their skills and support, nothing would have happened.


OUR THANKS TO ~


Architect …………………………. Douglas J. Steinmetz, Cedar Rapids

General Carpentry ……………… APEX Construction, Iowa City

Appliances ……………………………… Lyons’ Appliance, Washington

Cabinets & Countertops ………………. Bruty Lumber, Washington

Cabinet Installation & Finishing Touches …Scott Hughes, Brighton

Carpet …………………………… Bruty’s Carpet Corner, Washington

Electrical Work ………………… Marie Electric, Washington

Financing ………………………… Federation Bank, Washington
…………… and a Washington Incentive Fund (WIF) Loan
…………… and a Washington Chamber of Commerce Grant
……………and Washington Preservation LLC Shareholders

Floor Refinishing ……………… Joe Lins, M & M Hardwood Floors, Washington

Heating and Air Conditioning ….…. Ryan Meader, Brighton, for Johnson Controls, Cedar Rapids

Lighting Fixtures (partial)……………Sitlers, Washington

Paint and Miscellaneous Supplies …True Value Hardware, Washington

Plumbing ……………………………… Zager Plumbing, Washington

Roofing and insulation ………… Aaron Meader, M & M Kote-It, Brighton

Tile Installation……………… Bret & Randy Swift, Washington

Windows …………Russell Payne, Washington
…………………… and Gregg Payne, Mt. Pleasant
…………………… and Terry Phillips, Riverside
…………………… and Sorrell Glass, Washington