UVA's East Range Room Roofs Slated for Replacement

Extensive renovations to the iconic University of Virginia Rotunda are well underway.

Starting early next month, crews will also begin replacing the nearly 200-year-old slate roofs on the university's east range, originally installed in the 1830s.

Construction will close down the east alleys and affect some nearby parking areas.

According to the university, the project will likely wrap up sometime in late September.

University of Virginia Press Release

"The framing, sheathing and most of the slate date to the original installation period in the 1830s," said James D. W. Zehmer, UVAhistoric preservation project manager. "The existing slate roofs encapsulate the original Jeffersonian serrated roofs, and over the past roughly 190 years have served their purpose of protecting these important historic buildings. But it is now time to undertake a comprehensive replacement project." Workers replaced the similar West Range roofs last summer.

Workers from W.A. Lynch Roofing Co. of Charlottesville will replace all of the slate, as well as the flashings, ridge caps and gutters. In addition, the standing seam metal roof on Hotel D has reached the end of its useful life Zehmer said, and will be replaced with a tin-coated stainless steel shingle roof, replicating Thomas Jefferson's original design.

Scaffolding installation will startMondayat7 a.m., with the actual roof replacement set to start onJune 9. The east alleys will be closed temporarily during the work for material delivery and debris removal. The parking spaces directly next to Hotel D will be unavailable for the duration of the project.

"The demolition phase of work and the installation of slate roofing is a loud, noisy process, involving seemingly constant hammering," Zehmer said. "The goal of the project is to complete the most disruptive work during the course of the summer, with sheet metal installation and scaffold removal continuing into September."

The major work should be completed by Aug. 14, with Sept. 27 as the targeted completion date.

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UVA's East Range Room Roofs Slated for Replacement