The goal of this project was to document the existing conditions of the exterior envelope of the residence in order to provide an assessment of its structural condition. In the absence of accurate measured drawings, and before undertaking the field assessment process, ARC needed to create base drawings on which to record their field observations.

This would have been more difficult and time-consuming using hand measurement, and ARC was working with a limited grant budget. Information obtained from archival records of the 1960 restoration and subsequent maintenance of the mansion was also “layered” onto these AutoCAD base drawings, along with the contour mapping, to develop holistic elevations of the house so that ARC could better understand the relationship of modifications to potential structural concerns.

ARC also recommended laser scanning as an important first step in creating the management tools needed to document building conditions and monitor how they change over time, providing a record of the building’s history, alterations, restoration, and maintenance that assisted further decision making for the preservation of the structure.