Porch Restoration Completed at The Irish-Townsend House
A view of The Irish-Townsend House’s completed front porch.
The New Brighton Historical Society is proud to announce that contractors have finished the restoration of the front porch of The Irish-Townsend House. Carver Construction completed the carpentry work with the help of their Amish crew, Robert, Willie, Robbi, and Marvin from Ohio Amish Country. The copper roof of the home was installed by Totin Too’s one man crew, Woodrow.
The deteriorated front porch, pre-renovation
Rebuilding the porch actually started in the fall of 2022 when a New Brighton Historical Society work crew removed the old trim façade (or entablature). Then restoration brickwork had to be completed before carpentry work could begin. Construction began in May of 2023 and the porch was completed in November of 2023.
High-Quality Materials to Last a Lifetime
The porch is roughly forty feet wide and eight feet deep. The façade consists of fifteen individual trim pieces and was recreated to be the same shape as the original. Historic photos were used to recreate the fluted columns with Ionic capitols by Melton Columns. And the porch roof is 16-ounce copper, double lock standing seam with box gutters.
A decision was made that the wooden porch floor would be made of mahogany due to its durability among other reasons. Each piece of wood was painted with a sealant to help protect it from the elements.
A Heartfelt Thank You
The cost of the construction was $106,000 — $40,000 from the State Historical Preservation Office, $40,000 from the Borough of New Brighton, and the balance from private donations.
Contributions of all sizes made by all parties are deeply appreciated. Thank you to all who helped us complete Phase 1 of our restoration. We couldn’t be prouder of this important first step in restoring The Irish-Townsend House to its former glory so all of New Brighton can enjoy it.
Help Us Complete Phase 2 of Our Restoration
In Phase 2 of our restoration, we will be turning our attention to adding and updating all mechanicals at The Irish-Townsend House. As you can imagine, this will be a costly endeavor and donations of any size are welcomed through our GoFundMe page.