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By spring 2002 the building had been completely neglected for a dozen years. It had been largely ignored for another dozen. Most of the roof was 30 years old and had leaked for some time. The original framing, a combination of a timber and stick frame, had suffered several major "re-structurings". A few posts and floor joists had replaced the interior walls of the one-time commercial establishments residing inside the station. The center of the building was one open space except for the additional posts. The center overhang on the east side was enclosed completely in the 1970's to create four stables. The pass-through on the north end also had been enclosed to create a car garage. The triple-folding entry doors on the east side of the former luggage storage area - next to the pass-through - had been removed and replaced by windows. The elegant octagonal structure on the south-west side of the building was completely removed at some time after 1971. Roof leaks had badly damaged large sections of the roof overhang on all four sides of the building. Some of the major roof support timbers needed repairs as well. The original roof was cedar shingles. A second layer of asphalt shingles was on top of the (rotting) cedar shingles. On the South side, new sheathing and a third layer of fiberglass shingles had been laid over the old cedar and asphalt shingles early in the 90's. The center of the building had settled several inches and some of the outside posts of the center overhang had heaved due to frost; this placed a lot of stress on parts of the overhang structural supports. Water damage to sections of the attic floor (also the ceiling of the first floor) was extensive. The concrete platform in front of the station had badly deteriorated. On a more positive note ... Sacandaga Park has a water and sewer system that goes back to the FJ&G period. As a result, the Station (which in the 20's saw thousands of customers on a busy summer weekend) has a generous sewer connection. A water main runs (six feet underground) in front of the station where the train tracks used to be. |
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Exterior
Woodwork The rafters of the center roof rest on plates (double 3*10's on edge) that are elevated from the attic floor with short (approximately two feet) stubs. The stubs rest on a similar set of plates that rest on top of the main building posts. Although this is a strong construction (and it has held up for the past 80 years), the more or less free-standing stubs are sensitive to lateral movement of the wall that supports them. Settlement of the roof ridges particularly at the two points where the horizontal ridges meet the pyramid, as well as heavy snow loads on the overhangs, cause opposing lateral pressures on the plates - inward on the lower plate and outward on the upper one. As a result, several of the stubs were visibly out of the vertical plane. Knee walls (instead of stubs) are used on the south end of the building and above the former baggage room. However, these walls were weakened by decay to the point that the whole wall was bowed. Two of the four sets of hip rafters that extend from the top of the center (pyramid) roof to the corners, needed repairs. One of the ridge beams had cracked in the area of greatest (snow load) pressure - where the ridge meets the pyramid roof. That part of the roof structure appeared to be under-designed. However, most of the roof framing was in surprisingly good condition with the exception of areas around the six dormers. |
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![]() Overhang SE Side |
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Roof
Replacement |
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Interior
and Structural Changes To adapt the center section to the envisioned use we removed all of the new (1970's) structural elements supporting the attic, including the beam and four posts under the attic floor. Parts of three of the four former partition walls were re-installed as functional partitions and to help support the ceiling. Laminated beams were used to bridge missing wall sections. A series of 12" deep parallel floor trusses were then installed on the attic above the old ceiling. These trusses extend over the width of the building. They allow insulation, piping and electrical wiring to be placed between the first floor ceiling and a new attic floor installed on top of the trusses. The trusses also served to hold up sections of the ceiling, using metal suspension plates. This allowed the first floor ceiling, which is original, to be preserved. The new attic floor created a wonderful eclectic looking second floor (attic) that is suitable for many future uses. A new stairwell was created for convenient access to the attic. All the exterior walls were widened on the inside to improve load-bearing - including the load of the new second floor - and for the placement of thermal insulation, wiring and duct work inside the walls. A sub-floor was built six inches above the existing concrete first floor. This allowed for floor insulation and piping for a building-wide water and heating system; it also made a level floor! The electrical system was replaced throughout the entire building. The apartment on the south side was gutted, slightly expanded, ceilings raised and then re-built. Functional
Changes to the Interior The
time line of the restoration has been documented here. |
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