President James A. Garfield was the 20th President of the United States of America. His
Lawnfield Estate is a 29-room, three-story mansion, carriage house with stables, a separate
office for speeches, and a windmill. The National Park Service authorized the renovation
and historic preservation of Lawnfield in a tribute to the former President.
The first phase of the project was a $3.5 million transformation of the carriage house
to a visitors’ center and offices for its staff. The second phase included the careful but
methodical $9.5 million renovation of the existing mansion’s wood structure to its 1888
grandeur.
The structural restorations included:
· Complete documentation of the existing structures for historical purposes.
· Underpinning existing stone foundations for frost protection.
· Reinforcement of existing wood structure to accommodate current load
requirements. Some of the first floor framing was carefully “jacked-up” to eliminate
long-term creep deflection.
· Reinforcement of deteriorated wood structure.
Structural modifications were required to renovate the building to comply with current ADA
requirements.