West Chester Heritage roof fixes underway

WEST CHESTER — The West Chester Heritage Association says a contractor has begun work on their building’s roof, with tentative plans to finish before the rainy season this spring.

“We just would really like to take the opportunity to thank everyone that has sponsored us and has helped us and has donated,” Heritage Association President Dean Greiner said. “We can’t thank everybody enough for help to keep our little landmark in West Chester … we look forward to being a community asset for years to come.”

The to-do list for the former school in the city of 142 is extensive. Items includes a roof membrane replacement, several fixes to the rainwater drainage system, repairs to broken or rotten rafters and pushing a section of the roof back up that currently sags and collects water. Some of that can happen despite low temperatures, with a contractor servicing the over-100-year-old building from the inside.

The effort will run around $40,000 according to Greiner. While some alternative approaches were explored — including a metal roof or parapet changes — he said the contracted work would maintain the historical building’s appearance.

“That’s been a huge concern, because of the building and because of the aesthetics,” Greiner said. “There are not many of these old buildings still standing, a lot of them have been demolished even in the last few years.”

The third floor of the building will likely remain off-limits for most purposes. Greiner said the area was not handicap-accessible and had lead paint, making it unusable except for storage.

That said, the roof work will ensure sustainability for everything below the top story.

“We’ve got an amazing foundation and we’ve got a great building underneath,” Greiner said. “We use the lower level a lot, the second level does include museums … so it’s kind of imperative to keep the roof in good shape for the rest of the building.”

The "Raise the Roof campaign“ has been a top priority of the association’s fundraisers for the last several years. With that project finally coming to fruition, Greiner said the group now had its sights set on more goals for the landmark.

Those include tuckpointing on the exterior, replacing the building’s original auditorium curtains and some electrical updates.

“it’s always something to maintain it and continue,” Greiner said. “But we have a really good support group, we have some great fundraisers.”

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