Springtime warmth and sunshine have banished most memories of this winter's frigid temperatures and damaging ice storms.
But at Winnekenni Castle, the evidence of the brutal season remains. Extensive winter damage has left serious cracks in the castle's majestic main tower and threatens the interior space.
Extreme weather, combined with the ravages of time, have resulted in significant leaking inside the castle tower, said Winnekenni Foundation President Grace Marcoux.
During the December 2008 ice storm, water found its way into the naturally aging mortar and upon the rapid freezing it expanded, Marcoux said.
"The damaged areas continue to collect water, causing even further deterioration to the mortar and, in turn, is causing damage to the interior of the structure," Marcoux said.
It is critical to fix the cracks in the upper main tower for many reasons, especially because in order to complete the installation of the remaining new windows in the castle tower the repairs need to be completed, said Thomas Sullivan, vice president of fundraising at Winnekenni.
Other repairs on hold until the cracks are fixed include the completed renovation of the interior of the tower, and the exterior stone and mortar need to be repointed to seal it up tight.
"We also do not want there to be any risk to the integrity of the structure," Sullivan said.
The Winnekenni Foundation was established 41 years ago to raise money to pay for maintenance and repair of the castle and its grounds. In recent years, the group has overseen significant repair and improvements at the castle, but time continues to take its toll, Marcoux said.
That is why this year's summer wine and cheese reception, an annual fundraiser put on by the foundation, is so important, Marcoux said.
"It is such a wonderful and relaxing event to attend. The music is great and the scenery is beautiful. We encourage everyone to come and see for themselves what a wonderful and unique treasure we have here in Haverhill," Sullivan said.
Built in 1875, the Castle needs ongoing attention and money in order to maintain it, Marcoux said.
"The mortar ages with time. Had it been brand new, it wouldn't have been so affected by the storm. The main tower, in particular, bears the brunt of all of nature's harsh weather elements. Ideally, the old masonry work of the entire building should be addressed because the passing years and Mother Nature have aged the beautiful mortar and stonework," Marcoux said.
Some of this work has been accomplished over the past few years, Marcoux said. Repointing has been done and repairs have been made to the backside of some areas of the stonework around the roofline, including the small Martello Tower at the front of the Castle. The entire exterior of the perpendicular wall to the left of the castle's main entrance has also been completely repointed and sealed.
"The physical process is very slow, labor-intensive and very, very costly," Marcoux said.
The cost to repair just the front and backsides of the uppermost 5 feet of the tower's masonry work alone is estimated at $25,000.00, Marcoux said. The work needs to begin as soon as possible, and be completed before the cold weather arrives. The complete restoration cost of the tower has not been determined, Marcoux said.
Other areas of the building were damaged during the ice storm and long winter.
"We are noting cracks and leaks where there were none before, and some areas that were beginning to show age have worsened. These areas are also being assessed and repair costs are being determined. This urgent work to the tower and other locations must be done before undertaking complete restoration of the tower and then we must work in stages to repoint and seal up the entire exterior of building," Marcoux said.
The complete repointing of the entire exterior of the building is only the first phase of an overall — and much needed — renovation, Marcoux said. Once the exterior work has been accomplished, the interior perimeter walls will eventually need to be removed section by section to expose the stone so that it, too, can be repointed and sealed.
Once the walls are removed, a ventilation system will need to be designed and installed to reduce damaging humidity that builds up in space between the stone and the wallboard. New walls will then need to be reconstructed.
"It's like starting over. The time, money and effort involved will be tremendous as well as daunting in these challenging times. It will be a painstaking but worthy project. We need everyone's help in order to make it happen," Marcoux said.
