Week Three

I devoted last week to finalizing the current plans and elevations of the house and the proposed changes we need to make to comply with SHPO's standards for buildings on the historic register. Besides purely interior design features, such as the reinstallation of original trims, windows, and doors, Wiebke and I have propsed a new plan in order to utilize the interior space as both a public and private domain. By restoring the oringial kitchen, the house can be easily divided into two areas, each accessed by different entrances on the South and North sides. The two southern rooms could be used as an educational space, meeting area, or office that would be apart from the living quarters of a caretaker. In addition, the installation of a porch, in a similar fashion to the existing porch on the northwestern corner, would replace the current enclosed entrance, opening up the public half of the house to the trail and visitors.
To help with the designation of public and private space, I have built a model of the property, that includes the boathouse, oil house, lighthouse, main house, and barn. This will help demonstrate the accessibility of the house from both the waterfront and Bald Head Rd, as well as help with the future planning of tentsites and additional outbuildings that Chewonki has propsed. The model has been scaled to 1/16th of an inch to one foot and covers a 300 by 240 ft area. A quick thanks to Mike Kriendler for supplying me with the plans for the oil house, barn, and lighthouse, so each could be included in the model.
This next week will be devoted to finishing the plans and elevations so we can begin our involovement with the Historic Preservation Office and continue with the restoration of the light. Again, thanks to everyone for their help thus far.

Weeks One and Two: the Beginning

Over the past two weeks I have spent the majority of my time exploring the Kennebec River Lights and the historical features surrounding each site. I'd like to thank Jim and Joyce Spencer for giving me a tour of the Doubling Point Light and Paul and Marnie Kalkstein for the tour of the Range River Lights. Each light will undoubtedly prove useful in the restoration of Squirrel Point Light and the surrounding outbuildings.
After meeting with Don Hudson and Lee Johnson, Wiebke and I have formulated an ultimate goal for my summer internship, which I hope will contribute to the restoration and future public use of the light. I've begun drafting the current condition of the house using plans and the exterior and interior elevations to demonstrate Trenholm's alterations to the historical structure. These drawings will be followed by similar set that will show how we plan to restore the house to the original condition while complying with the Maine Historic Preservation's (MHPO) standards for the restoration of buildings on the historic register. Combined with photos, these drawings will be submitted to MHPO, who hopefully will approve of the suggested changes, so we can begin the restoration process. In addition to the architectural drawings, I will be building a 3-D model of the site and surrounding property to help develop Chewonki's interest in establishing a tent-site and subsequent outbuildings to house educational programs. Finally to help raise public and community awareness of Squirrel Point Light, I will be putting together a brochure and trail head sign.
Anyways, this is just a brief outline of my plans for the summer. Feel free to comment, offer suggestions and criticisms, or provide any helpful information. I'm still looking for historical photographs of the light and a survey of the property, so if anyone has any leads or information, let me know and I'd be glad to meet you. I plan to post twice a week with updates on my project.
Also, thank you to everyone who has helped out, so far this project has been exciting and I look forward to seeing the final outcome of the lighthouse.

Visit to Doubling Point and the Range River Lights