Northbridge Town Hall-Paint · Northbridge Town Hall Whitinsville, MA ... , Saxonville), the mill...
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Transcript of Northbridge Town Hall-Paint · Northbridge Town Hall Whitinsville, MA ... , Saxonville), the mill...
NorthbridgeTownHall Whitinsville,MA
SaraB.Chase 10/1/12 ‐PreservationConsultant
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NorthbridgeTownHall:HistoricExteriorPaintWhitinsville,MAHistoricExteriorPaintColors[N.B.SW=SherwinWilliams] SUMMARYAllsash: SherwinWilliamsChateauBrown2028gloss(includingoriginaloculus)Allwindowtrim: SherwinWilliamsQuartersawnOak2836semi‐glossorgloss___________________Alldoortrim: SherwinWilliamsQuartersawnOak2836semi‐glossorglossAlldoors: SherwinWilliamsChateauBrown2028 glossPORTICOS– Columns: SWQuartersawnOak2836semi‐gloss Capitols: SWQuartersawnOak2836raisedornamentandnarrowring moldingsonly. •FlatgroundorbandbehindraisedornamenttobethedarkbrownSW2028 ChateauBrown• Modillionblocks:SWQuartersawnOak2836semi‐gloss •Flatgroundformodillionblocksonly:SWChateauBrown2028semi‐gloss• Architrave&frieze: SWQuartersawnOak2836semi‐gloss Ceilingmoldings: SWQuartersawnOak2836semi‐gloss Recessedceilingpanels: SWQuartersawnOak2836matte (only)ROOFTRIM Rakingmoldingofgableendandeaves TBD •Soffitandfasciaholdingmodillionblocks:SW2028ChateauBrownsemi‐gloss• Architrave,frieze,anddentils: SW2836QuartersawnOaksemi‐gloss
NorthbridgeTownHall Whitinsville,MA
SaraB.Chase 10/1/12 ‐PreservationConsultant
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IntroductionThisbuildingservedastheWhitinsvilleSocialLibrarywhenitwasbuilt,c.1872.Likeothermilltownsoftheperiod(Lowell,Saxonville),themillownersprovidedhallsandlibrariesforthepersonalbenefitofthemanyworkersandothermillpersonnel.TheLibraryherehadthesamenameasthevillageofworkers,thenameofthefamilywhobuiltthemillsandfoundedthevillageofitsworkers:theWhitins.Currently,however,itistheTownHallofawidercommunity,Northbridge.TheexteriorshowstypicalVictoriandesignfeatures,suchashighwindowsurroundscrownedbyellipticalarcheswithacenteredkeystone(secondstorylevel,primarilyalargemeetingspace),paneleddoorswithflatrecessedpanels,andsmallerdetailssuchastherosetteswhichbandthecolumnsandpilastersatthetwomainhistoricentranceporticos.Architecturally,theNorthbridgeTownHallisunusual.ItcertainlyisaVictorianbuilding.Ontheotherhand,thereisastrongneoclassicalelementinthetwoporticosandrooflinewithfullclassicalentablature.Foundationblocks,steps,andbeltbandsofpinkMilfordgranitefurtherexemplifyaclassicaldesignfeature.Thatthetwo(classicalandVictorian)designfeaturescanco‐existharmoniouslyinahandsomebuildingisimpressive.TheoriginalexteriorwoodofthebuildingwaspaintedinarestrainedVictorianmanner.MethodologyAsinglehistoricphotograph(c1899)providedageneralopeningviewoftheexteriorpaintcolors,atleastintermsoflighteranddarkerareas,seenbothinfulllightandinshadow.Themicroscope(two,actually—fieldscope0f20xandlaboratorybinocularscopeofupto100x)revealedthat,atmost,thebuildingappearstohavebeenpaintedoverallatleast10‐12times.Asisthecasenow,someareasgetpaintedmoreoftenthanothers.Thelayersofpaintexaminedindividuallyandincrosssectionalsequenceforthisreportwereonlythefirstfourfinishlayers.Northdaylightwastheillumination;samplesweretreatedwithUVtoreversethenormaldiscolorationduetoaginglinseedoilinthesamplesmatched.Averythinwhitishprimerwaspaintedthroughoutwithatleastthree,andsometimesmore,brownishpaintlayers.Closeattentiontothesamples,especiallytodeterminewhichareashadonebrownishlayeroveranotherwithnotracesofaccumulatedmicroscopicsootparticles.Bythetimethedoors,windowsandporticoswereallpaintedthesamecolor,i.e.therewasalayerofuniformcolorandthicknessfoundonalltheareassampled,itwasfinallyclearthatoriginallytwobrownpaintsco‐existed:adarktone,andamediumtone.Thatmeansthatthelighterbrown(“QuartersawnOak”)waspaintedovereverypaintedsurface,andthencertainsurfacedetailswere“pickedout”withthedeepbrowncolor(ChateauBrown).SuchapracticewastypicalofVictorianpainters.
NorthbridgeTownHall Whitinsville,MA
SaraB.Chase 10/1/12 ‐PreservationConsultant
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ConclusionThereisalogictotheuseofthedeeperdarkercoloronspecificareasanddetails:‐•Ondoors,thedarkcolorbothemphasizestheentrancesasdistinctfromthebrickandtherestofthetrim,andshowsfarlesssoiling.•Onsash,thedarkcolortendstoletthewindowsseemalittlelarger,especiallywhenindaylightwithonlyinteriorspacebehindtheglass,thepanesseemalmostblack.•Onthesoffitandfasciaoftherooftrim,andontheporticoroofoverhang,thedarkbackgroundletsthemodillionblocksstandout.•Ontheflatgroundareatowhichthesmallrosettes(“flowers”)inhighreliefareattached,theystandoutdecorativelyfromthedarkbackground.Thus,boththetintsorhuesofthetrimpaint,anditslocations,aretypicalofVictoriantasteandaesthetics.Theparticularbrowncolorsonthisbuildingharmonizewiththebrick.TheSherwinWilliamsQuartersawnOakcolorisfromitsoriginalhistoricpalettefirstpublishedintheearly1970s,withcolorformulationstakendirectlyfromtheCompanyarchives.SherwinWilliamswasoneofthefirsttwocompaniestomanufacturepaintthatcouldhaveashelflifeincans,and1871wasearlyinthehistoryofthatcompany.TheNorthbridgeTownHallhasunusualsignificanceinitsblendofearlierneoclassicaldetailswithconventionalmid‐Victorianexteriortrimcolors.
