Governor's Mansion Multi-year Preservation Project Begun April 2003

Still Making Progress in 2007!
Click here to read the Washington Post article about this innovative installation.
	Drilling 70 geothermal wells.	Geothermal wells. Eventually grass will be growing again and there will be no indication of them.	New road surface with curb and gutter to assist in drainage
Exterior Mechanical Vault Excavation
The concrete walls in the mechanical vault construction.	Pouring the concrete for the roof.	Vault with waterproofing material covering walls and roof.
The first twelve feet of the vault has been shored in preparation for boring five casings for heating and air-conditioning equipment. The beginnings of the connecting tunnel between the mansion and the vault can be seen.	Approximately 8 more feet of earth have been excavated to the final depth in preparation for pouring the concrete floor and walls.	The five HVAC casings are shown here. All five run under the foundations of the mansion.
Solid Foundation Creating a new, solid foundation under an historic structure (while it's still standing!) has been a challenge.	Deterioration The condition of some of the original stone and brick foundation of the historic mansion -- much of the deterioration caused by water damage from underground springs.	Drainage features New tunnels constructed under the original foundations allow access to areas beneath the historic mansion for utility lines, repair work and other needs.
Mansion Scaffolding May 2003 The mansion's current appearance, wrapped in wood and metal	Mansion Scaffolding Closeup view of mansion scaffolding	Drainage Features Drainage features are imbedded within a new retaining wall behind the mansion. Excess water has been a main issue in Morven Park Mansion's preservation efforts.	Flooring All floorboards on the first level of the mansion have been removed to allow for access to the foundation beneath. In many locations, the historic structure has rested for 200 years on nothing more than soil and crumbling brick.
Scaffolding Going Up Delayed by rain, scaffolding begins to go up on the mansion	Scaffolding It took over one week to assemble all of the scaffolding	Caged Lion One of two portico lions moved away from the work	Exposed Brick What is this?! Brick and mortar circa 1751!
What's Underneath? Tidewater Preservation drills through stucco Dec. '02	Measuring Stucco Depth Measuring how thick the stucco is on the mansion's exterior	Exposed Chimney April 28 2003 One of the mansion's chimneys stripped of paint	Exposed Chimney One of mansion's chimneys protected from the elements