Page 33 - OmniSite Anniversary Book

OUR NEW ADDRESS
took it upon himself to research the building’s origins. Not because he
had to, but because he felt it was the right thing to do. Ward hired OmniSite employee, Claire Paddack, to try to
dig up historical details on the original business and this building that housed it.
“Other than one tiny little paragraph about the furniture factory that began here, there’s little written history and few records of the building itself.
But we felt responsible for retaining the bit of its history we know.” he
PHOTOS: LEFT Windows before and after. All original windows were replaced with new energy-ef cient versions. ABOVE All original brick as it is today. Intact with wooden dowel rods that were placed in the mortar so that items could be hung on the walls.
says. “We didn’t have to follow any historical guidelines.”
OmniSite could do whatever the company wanted to in terms of demolition or restoration of the structure. The result: OmniSite preserved the important parts — the bricks, frame and oors — and modernized the rest, using some of the original materials for accent pieces.
“We sandblasted every square inch
of the interior of this building, all the wood and brick on the outside, and we ground out every mortar joint three-quarters of an inch,” he explains.
“Every original joint was re-tuck- pointed. And for every brick that was damaged on the face, we cut it out, turned it around and put it back in place, so the best side faced out.”
During the restoration of the building, a masonry expert,
Doug Nies was hired. He carefully tore down two inoperable on-site chimneys to salvage those original bricks for use elsewhere as needed. Ward marvels at the thought of it all.
“These bricks were actually made on-site back in the day. In the 1800s you didn’t buy bricks from a brick factory. Instead, they had a little kiln
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