Founded in 1862, Our Mother of Consolation Parish School outgrew a series of temporary locations until the church constructed a Gothic Revival school building on its Chestnut Hill campus in 1915. Neighborhood stonemasons built it from granite and locally quarried schist, with limestone ornamentation, window headers, and sills. Sometime in the 1960’s, the original double-hung wood windows were replaced with aluminum windows and the fixed window openings above them were filled in and covered with aluminum siding.
By 2016, the 26,400 square-foot school building was not getting an A grade. The windows had been leaking and most of the mortar joints were in poor condition. As a result, a great deal of moisture had entered the walls through various avenues, causing spalling, damaging the limestone above the windows, and corroding steel supports and lintels. It was time to investigate the extent of the damage, do the repairs, and replace the windows.
For minimal disruption to the school, we planned the repair and replacement work in two phases, to be done during summer break. The damaged limestone and steel lintels were replaced and the masonry was repointed. Contractors removed the old aluminum windows and siding and installed new insulated aluminum-clad wood windows on two sides one summer, and completed the work on the front and rear the next summer. The new windows are in the style of the originals, and are again full-height. Happily, the work was completed on time and on budget.
