Repairs to UA's Old Main near completion

Last of 4 columns replaced at entrance to 141-year-old campus building

Workers place the last of four columns into position Monday at the east entrance of Old Main on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. The original columns were from 1875.
Workers place the last of four columns into position Monday at the east entrance of Old Main on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. The original columns were from 1875.

FAYETTEVILLE -- The fourth and final new column was installed Monday in the portico of Old Main, the oldest building on the University of Arkansas campus.

Four new limestone columns were installed over the past two weeks, replacing the original, cracked columns, which dated back to the building's 1875 construction.

"I understand one of the columns so was so brittle it actually fell apart when they were taking it down," said Mike Johnson, associate vice chancellor for facilities at the university.

Now, Roberts-McNutt Inc. of North Little Rock just needs to finish the work on the portico above the columns.

"The rest of it's a piece of cake," said foreman Ricky Brooke. "The heavy lifting is done."

Brooke said the entire project will be done by Aug. 15.

"Once it is cleaned up, I think it's going to look really good," he said. "It'll look brand-new when we're done with it, brand-new but old."

Roberts-McNutt is the subcontractor installing the columns. The company specializes in restoration, roofing and waterproofing.

The general contractor for the $900,000 project is CDI Contractors of Fayetteville. A grant from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council will contribute $700,000. The rest of the money will come from the university.

The new columns are made of Indiana limestone. Each column is 15.7 feet tall and weighs about 6,000 pounds. They were manufactured by Quarra Stone Co. of Madison, Wis.

Roberts-McNutt also installed two new, inscribed cornerstone faces that were made by Quarra Stone.

The original cornerstone faces are in storage for now, Johnson said, but they might be on display in a university building at some point.

"Unfortunately, if we put them outside, they'll continue to deteriorate," Johnson said.

Both of the original cornerstone inscriptions are damaged because moisture trapped within the pedestal seeped through the limestone, depositing calcium on the face of the stone, according to the grant request.

Besides the columns, other parts of the limestone portico will be repaired or replaced, and steps will be taken to keep moisture from damaging the stone.

A temporary structure was built to support the entablature and other parts of the portico while the old columns were being removed and the new ones installed. That temporary structure will be removed today, Brooke said.

Tommy Burton, a vice president with Roberts-McNutt, said work on the columns was done in a way that didn't cause additional damage to the fragile portico above.

"My guys who've been up there face to face with it tell me it's pretty sound," said Burton, referring to the entablature.

The portico is featured on the university seal.

The project includes replacing the limestone steps with sandstone, which was the original material used for the steps. The sandstone steps and landing were replaced with limestone in 1981.

The main entrance to Old Main has been closed while the work was underway. The building is still open, though, and can be accessed from the back or side doors.

Old Main, which was designed by Chicago architect John M. Van Osdel, went through a complete interior renovation and limited exterior renovation in the 1980s, according to the grant application.

An exterior renovation project was completed in 2008, but it didn't provide enough funding for restoration of the portico and limestone steps.

Metro on 08/02/2016

Upcoming Events