The project team for the cottage reconstruction is:
· Friends of Rittenhouse Square - project sponsor and major funding
source
· City of Philadelphia, The Honorable Michael Nutter, Mayor -
additional funding
· Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Honorable Edward Rendell,
Governor - additional funding
· Fairmount Park
· City of Philadelphia Capital Program Office
· Schade and Bolender Architects LLP
On Thursday February 26, the contractor buttressed the cottage with 2 x 4's, thus avoiding a Wizard of Oz type occurrence in the high winds of Thursday night and the storms that followed. This is an extremely windy corner, with unpredictable gusts and wind direction due the surrounding buildings. The snow and bitter cold hampered construction efforts on Monday and Tuesday.
In a dramatic scene of crane work on Thursday March 5, the entire roof structure was picked up off the walls and set on scaffolding at the west corner of the work site. The wall framing was too deteriorated to reuse in place, but the longer timbers will be sent to a furniture maker for reuse.
The contractor discovered a well-preserved double hung window on the north side of the cottage. It had been boarded over on both sides for many years to accommodate the electrical items on the interior and the Gator parking garage on the exterior. This window will be restored for use on the cottage east side.
During the week of March 9, trenching and rough in work will be underway for the park electrical service and the irrigation system.
