News

Old Main suffers a small set back

By Scott Wagar

09/09/2014

There has been some structural damaged done to Old Main, but the architecture for the renovation project of the building feels the issue concerning the oldest building on DCB’s campus is an easy fix.

The issue is a brick ventilation shaft that has been slowing deteriorating to a point that has made an inside wall in the basement of Old Main collapse.

“Old Main was originally built with four brick air ventilation shafts. These shafts towered from the basement level all the way up through the two main floor levels of the building in addition to the large steep attic space above. These shafts were built to a height above the roof totaling approximately 50-feet of unreinforced masonry, meaning there is no steel,” said Dan Nostdahl, architect for Nostdahl-Liptack Architects in Phoenix, who is also the architect for the Old Main project.

“Three of these shafts were strictly ventilation shafts that allowed for the warm air of the basement coal boiler to circulate naturally upward through the levels of the building via natural convection. One of the four shafts was a combination chimney and ventilation shaft for the coal boiler along with chemistry hood exhausts for the school buildings science labs. It is an interesting and intact example of how these multistory buildings of the cold prairie were engineered to be a modern heated building of the time,” he continued.

“One air ventilation shaft had been removed at some point in its past for some reason. It can be assumed that this happened sometime after the boiler in the basement was removed and the building was modernized with radiators and ultimately central campus plant heat,” Nostdahl said. “The concern now today is that two of these three remaining towering brick shafts have succumbed to water damage at the basement level.”

 “This damage was most likely spurred on by a water break that flooded the buildings basement the winter after it was vacated in 2007.  The four to five feet deep flood waters at that time saturated the red clay bricks and mortar at the critical foundation level of these shafts.”

It can be assumed that this brick never had the opportunity to dry out within this unused and unheated building that has gone through the extreme summer to winter temperature swings for the last seven years.    

“The masonry was starting to fall away back in 2010 but was initially held up by the paneling that had been installed in the old bookstore,” Nostdahl added. “First observed was a bow in the paneling, then a little more, then bricks on the floor. Now, it is pretty much the whole base of the one shaft that has deteriorated.”

Nostdahl stated that with the base gone from this shaft doesn’t mean the building cannot be fixed. At the present moment, Nostdahl has started the process in getting the ventilation shaft fixed.

“I have recommended to the Old Main Committee that we find a good shoring company that can come in and create temporary supports for the shafts,” Nostdahl said. “I am thinking that a building moving company could be the best specialist to do this kind of work.  

“The specialist that has done similar work and who has been contacted at this point for an opinion is Kevin Huwe of Huwe House Moving in Minot,” Nostdahl continued.

“There are other local building movers that may also be an option. Huwe House Moving is the specialist that has also recently moved the old State Bank building which was recently given to the local veterans groups. It was moved from its original location on the highway to its new home on Main Street across from the fairgrounds.

“A company like this would need to insert some beams and a bearing plate of some sort to support the structure above and gently lift it back into place with hydraulic jacks,” Nostdahl said.

“It would then be possible for a mason to work safely under this shaft to build a new masonry base and foundation.”

With any structural failure of a building there is always concern about how safe the edifice is; but, Nostdahl stated that there is little to no concern that Old Main is present not a safe structure.

“It is hard to say exactly what would happen if it falls, and it probably won’t fall since it hasn’t already. My concern is a strong wind incident that could really rattle the building and apply forces on the building that may jostle something loose,” Nostdahl said.

“If it fell, I would assume that it will drop straight down the four feet that is missing at the bottom. It may happen that just a heavy section of the bottom may break free from an upper lighter section of the shaft and simply be a small amount of damage at the first floor.  

“The masonry shaft intact above is most likely stable and stout. I could envision that if it fell as one piece, it may pull floor and roof sections down with it but it won’t be this Hollywood explosion,” Nostdahl stated.

“I believe it will stay contained within the area which falls, but you never know what chain of events could trigger.”

As Nostdahl works with the shoring and masonry companies, the Old Main Committee is working to raise the money to fix the ventilation shaft. The Old Main Committee has little funding to work with at the moment, but its members are attempting to get funding through donations and grant writings.

There is a serious issue right now with the brick shaft, but Nostdahl and the Old Main Committee feel it is a worthy problem to get repaired because of the significance of the structure.

“Old Main really looks the same as ever from the outside. It is a remarkable old building. It is in much better shape at this age than I remember some of the other old multi-story brick structures around town, the old courthouse building or the old original school building behind the current Central School come to mind,” Nostdahl said.

“We have lost a bunch of old historical landmark buildings from the beginning of this town and with due reason.

They weren’t built as well as Old Main. It would be nice to save a few if at all possible.

“As far as Old Main looks now, it isn’t getting any better sitting vacant and unheated but the old stone foundation wall isn’t falling down.” he continued. “It does need new mortar and some exterior waterproofing to make it last another very long time if money could be raised.

“Bottom line, this building could be an incredible modernized building if money were available. It could fill a developing space need for the college in regards to office space and additional classroom space,” he stated.

“It would be a win, win if this old original landmark building could actually be re-born to once again provide for this need but in a way with much more character than any new building would probably provide,” Nostdahl said.

“It appears that local dollars will be needed to actually save it as matching funds to any and all available grants that could be obtained.

“Then just maybe a case could be made to the Board of Higher Education to get on board with the local vision and dream in a way that would not cost them much more than it would be for them to remove this building and build something new.”