Architects Unveil Preliminary Plans for Old Lighthouse Museum Renovation

How do you restore a 173-year-old local landmark to its original glory while modernizing the experience for visitors and staff and staying true to the building's character?

Architectural firm Oudens Ello of Boston tried to answer that question Thursday night at the La Grua Center in the Borough during a presentation of its preliminary design concepts for the restoration of the Old Lighthouse Museum.

One of the firm's partners, Conrad Ello, said the most important priority for his firm, based on feedback from those present at a Jan. 3 historical society meeting, is to preserve the museum's collections, most importantly the lighthouse itself.

"The preservation of this building is paramount to this whole project," Ello said.

Another key component that informed his design concepts was access. The building's entrance, he said, is "awkward" and too narrow to be accessed by the handicapped, and visitors enter into a crowded room that contains both artifacts and a cash register and merchandise.

The preservation of the museum's collection of artifacts, Ello said, hinges on insulating the building and partially conditioning the air inside, although he noted that installing museum-quality air conditioning was not feasible because it would require "building a building inside of a building."

"In some of the storage spaces you've got spaces that are uninsulated up in the attic that you've got priceless artificacts in," he said. "It's just subject to wild fluctuations in temperature and humidity."

Stonington Historical Society President David S. Purvis said making improvements to the nation's oldest lighthouse museum now is paramount.

"The lighthouse hasn't had any major work done in a lot of years," Purvis said. "When the historical society took it over in 1925, there were some improvements done then, and pretty much nothing significant has been done except for roof repairs since that time."

Indeed, Ello took residents through a slideshow detailing failing beams and windows, water infiltration inside the building, insect damage and uninsulated storage areas.

TRUE TO THE ORIGINAL

Ello said his firm took care to be true to the design of the current lighthouse building in coming up with concepts, but it was impossible to be 100% faithful. A good example, he said, is the front entrance. 

"Without radically changing the look of the front of this building, which we think is inappropriate, we've got to come up with a new solution to public entrance to the museum," Ello said. 

To do that, the firm designed a glass-walled pavilion that would be tucked along the back of the lighthouse where there is currently an ell that was tacked on in the late-1800s. 

"(The ell) is a building that has very little historical material left in it," said Ello, noting that the atrium is an important part of the design because it marks the transition between a new structure and the old structure. "We believe this is really the spot for putting on a new addition and removing this ell."

Another subtle flourish is the positioning of the addition behind the lighthouse at a slight angle to further differentiate the new structure from the historic one. Partner Matthew Oudens presented three possible versions of a roof for the new 800-square-foot structure — a "green" roof that could include photovoltaic panels (preferred by the architects), a traditional gabled roof, and an inverted gable roof.

"All of this is consolidated into the tightest package we could achieve," Oudens said. "There is a full basement for staff use, a stair accessed only by staff ... there's a very clear separation not just between the geometry of the addition and the geometry of the existing lighthouse, but even the materials."

The new structure would be subject to current building codes, so two unisex bathrooms would be mandated.

INVITING GROUNDS

Ello threw to Lisa Giersbach to explain the site design.

"One of the great challenges with this project is the question of accessibility," Giersbach said. She said her efforts concentrated on finding minimalist, sensitive exterior solutions that maintain the character of the property.

She detailed some of her plans, which included a wide crushed-stone walkway to the old entrance, a widening of the gated entry off Water Street, the creation of a sitting area to the left of the entrance and the regrading and possible "stepping" of the sloping lawn that billows down to the water.

"This is an iterative process, and getting the form of the pavilion right has been a work in progress," Ello said. "What's most important is the sight lines and the sense of scale and how this pavilion relates to the Old Lighthouse as seen from the ground."

HURRICANE-PROOF?

During the question-and-answer session, former state and U.S. legislator Rob Simmons asked about the hurricane-readiness of the new structure.

"My question for you would be, it's a beautiful rendition, and it's lovely, and I think it meets a lot of the aesthetic criteria we have, but how do you engineer it so it doesn't blow away?"

"We have total confidence in our structural integrity," Oudens replied with a smile to a chorus of laughter from the audience. "The structure will meet the requirements of the site, no question. The question you ask is a good one, and this is something that is susceptible to high winds and wind-borne debris, so there are code requirements for that glass as well.

"We'll be using high-resistance glass ... it doesn't give us any concern or pause that using glass in this application is questionable in any way."

Ello added that the Old Lighthouse Museum lies several feet above the 100-year flood plain, which protects the structure against all but the most devastating storm surge levels.

The historical society acknowledged support it has received in the process from the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, the Connecticut Humanities Council, and the friends and members of the Stonington Historical Society and the Old Lighthouse.