Austin Hall is a state archaeological landmark and had not been updated or renovated in 27 years. Dedicated June 24, 1851, Austin Hall is brick-and-mortar construction with walls that are 16 inches thick. The decision to refurbish Austin Hall was under consideration for several years until funding could be found. Three foundations-Houston Endowment Inc., The Brown Foundation Inc. and The Elkins Foundation- contributed to the project. With additional support from business and alumni, the school was ready to proceed with the renovations.
Austin Hall was deteriorating on the outside due to water erosion and exterior cracks. In addition to the new roof, the floors and windows needed refurbishing, the cupola required restoration, new electrical was necessary, including HVAC, and the plumbing had to be addressed. Allison Chambers, architect with the project architect, Ford Powell Carson, visited Austin Hall and determined the issues, what caused them and the appropriate solution. “It is rehabilitation when preservation is involved, that is repairing or fixing what is broken,” explains Chambers. “When restoring the masonry it was discovered that the wood lintels had rotted out. The solution was to reinforce the lintels with stainless steel, with the wood becoming a decorative finish.”
A primary goal was to minimize maintenance. A suggestion was made to coat the existing roof, but SHSU wanted to replace it, so they chose stainless steel. The existing roof was copper. The Frank Brown Roofing Co. had the experience and knowledge to fabricate the InvariMatte stainless steel roof panels from Contrarian Metal Resources. Frank Brown Roofing sheared the metal and formed the panelized system that comprises the roof. A crew of six to eight people worked for six to eight weeks to build the roof. “I’ve done roofing my whole life and while it was a lot of work, it turned out well and it’s a good product that should last indefinitely,” explains Frank Brown. The hall was submitted for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in September 2012 and was approved by the State Board of Review. It is now pending final approval from the National Forest Service.
General contractor: Whiting-Turner, Baltimore
Architect: Ford Powell Carson, San Antonio
Roofing contractor: Frank Brown Roofing Co., Dallas
Metal roof panels: Contrarian Metal Resources, Allison Park, Pa., www.metalresources.net,
