News

Touchstones Inc. start restoration project

By Scott Wagar

11/29/2011

After months of public meetings, grant writing and fundraisers, Touchstones Inc., started the rehabilitation work on the Stone Bank building in downtown Bottineau this past week.

The first phase of the preservation work is to attend to the back part of the structure, which has gradually been losing stones due to the foundation sinking.

“We are in the process of dismantling the back 20 feet and seven inches of the building. I say dismantling because our objective is to rebuild the bank building over a new foundation,” said Sharon Kessler, one of the co-founders of Touchstones, Inc., with Karen Larson. “Right now, the rear 20 feet of the Stone Bank is sitting on very shallow footings and that part of building is sinking a bit. Our architects and contractors agree that the best way to fix this for the long haul is to carefully take that section of the building down and fix the foundation, and then, rebuild the bank back up again.”

Besides the foundation, the roof on the back section of the building has deteriorated over the past decades, causing water to enter the building and into the stone wall, softening the mortar between the stones and causing them to fall off the back of the structure.

“It’s imperative to dismantle the back portion,” Kessler said. “The settling, coupled with the structural damage caused by the leaky roof has really left us no other option.”

Joe Whetter of Whetter Masonry, along with Fred Kainz of Premise Investments, are conducting the restoration work for Touchstones.

“Joe is doing the stonework and will be responsible for dismantling the 420 square feet of the back portion of the building.” Kessler said. “Fred is doing the carpentry on this part of the project, and will be our general contractor next year when things get more complicated by organizing the work of the electricians, plumbers and roofers.”

Whetter is currently removing the mortar between the stones, which dates back over a century, so he can remove each stone by hand.

Whetter carefully numbers each stone before removing it, so when the foundation is finished, he will be able to put back each stone in the order he removed them.

“How Joe does the numbering is real interesting,” Kessler said. “Each row of stone is called a course. He numbers them on the wall, then dislodges the stones and keeps each course together. Each course is then put on a pallet, which is also numbered. Once all the stones in a row are stacked on a pallet, the whole thing is lowered to the ground with a loader, wrapped in plastic to keep it tight, and is stored on the bank’s back lot. It’s simple and ingenious at the same time.”

The Stone Bank has two stone walls, which measures two-feet in depth. The face stones are the stones which makes up the outside portion of the bank, while the riprap stones are the stones that make up the inside or secondary wall of the building. Once Whetter removes the riprap, it will be donated to Bottineau County’s road department for use in the county.

“We are delighted to find a home for that stone,’ Kessler said. “It gets another life in and around Bottineau instead of just being dumped in the landfill.”
Kainz will be removing the back portion of the roof and will be enclosing the back wall of the structure for the winter months.

“In a week or so, Fred is going to remove the roof from the back 20 feet of the building, and is going to frame in a temporary back wall to close the structure to the elements of winter,” Kessler said. “Then Joe will continue with removing the stones. When the dismantling is done, fill will be used to cover the opening, which is about three feet deep. Next year, Joe will build the foundation and will be in charge of rebuilding the supporting walls and the stone facade.

“Fred is also going to be salvaging as much of the window trim, woodwork and tin ceilings for reuse. Frankly, there isn’t much left of the original bank interior because it hasn’t been a bank since 1923,” Kessler added. “But, there are bits and pieces, and we are going to salvage as much of that as possible. The rest is just paneling and carpeting from various remodeling projects over the past 80 years, which is not historic. So, that will go to the dump.”

When the reconstruction starts next year, Whetter will be constructing progressive supporting walls with the primordial facade stones.

“It’s not practical to put the riprap back inside the walls. So, the new foundation and interior of the walls will be concrete blocks,” Kessler said. “Then, the face stone will be put back on top of concrete blocks. The building will look the same, but the structure underneath will be modernized.”

One change that will take place in the first stage of rehabilitating is installing a handicapped door on the back wall of the structure.

“The south side of the building will look exactly like it does now. The only real noticeable change will be on the west end of building. The plan is to make the building handicapped accessible to increase its potential for reuse,” Kessler stated. “It is likely that the two small windows in the back will disappear and the doorway will be centered on the wall. But, that plan is still on the drawing board. At this time, we just don’t have the details. However, the face stone will be reused on the back and the new doorway will be made to look like it was always there.”

The first stage of the project is an important phase, because by Touchstones securing the back portion of the structure, it will keep the building from being condemned and razed.

“I think we have reached that goal,” said Kessler about keeping the Stone Bank from being condemned and torn down. “Over the winter, we will be working with the architects, along with Joe and Fred, to create the rebuilding plan for the bank. Then, we will began more fundraising because conservatively it is going to cost at least $40,000 to excavate the basement, build a new foundation, then put up the bank’s walls again. Once the bank is rebuilt, we will need to roof the structure.”

Touchstones will be writing a number of grant applications throughout the winter months for the restoration of the bank, but they are also hoping for local donations.

“Right now, every penny, dollar and dime helps the cause. As we move out of the crisis mode, we now have a chance to step back and do some thinking and planning. But, honestly, the sooner we have the cash to pay for the work, the sooner this building will be back in use, which is our ultimate goal,” Kessler said.

“We want the Stone Bank standing proud and helping draw visitors to Bottineau’s historic downtown for many years to come. It’s cool to think of the city’s past and present co-existing in the future with all the modern comforts with respect for our town’s history.”

Kessler stated that her love for the Stone Bank comes from the pioneers’ of Bottineau.

“As I have researched the bank’s history, I have been struck by how hopeful and industrious Bottineau’s founders were and how their optimism was and still is infectious,” she said. “The leaders believed that Bottineau had a great future and they invested in some pretty marvelous structures. The Stone Bank, and several other pioneer buildings in town, really connect us to that time and optimism.”

The Stone Bank, which was officially called the Bottineau County Bank, was established in 1887 on the exact same location the structure stands today. The original bank building was a two story wood frame building. However, it is unknown when the stone building was constructed due to lost records and newspaper accounts, but it is believed the stone edifice was built in the early 1890s.

“As far as we know, there is no cornerstone on the building to give us a date when it was constructed,” Kessler said. “But, Joe said that stone masons of the late 1800s often placed their initials and date on the inside of stones, which Joe is keeping an eye out for as he dismantles this section of the building.”

Whetter stated that the stones for the bank come from the local area. Although the stones are from the Turtle Mountains and surrounding areas, it is believed its original home was in Canada, but the stones were transported here by glaciers around 10,000 to 25,000 years ago. Even more interesting, it is believed the stones were formed deep in the earth during the Pleistocene era, which dates back 2.5 million years ago, making the stones very ancient to the local area.
However, the reddish corner stones and window ledges are brownstone, or sandstone, which Whetter states was shipped to Bottineau on the train from the east coast where brownstone is predominate to that area.

According to Bobbi Hepper Olson, senior architect on the project, with the size of the building, it probably took two to three years to construct the structure, primarily because the stone facade was completed by hand.

Masons at that time used exclusive equipment to shape and size the stone blocks. The masons used heavy stone hammers, which were sharpened on the end which was used to break apart the large stones, smaller mason hammers, which had a flat head and pointed claw, were used to chip off corners and other points of the stones to dress down the face of the stones.

“It’s kind of fun to look at the face stones in the bright sun because you can clearly make out the chisel marks on many of the stones,” Kessler said. “They really don’t build them like this anymore.”

The bank existed in Bottineau from 1887 until 1923 when the bank closed. Since that time, a number of different businesses have been located in the stone structure, some of which included a floral shop, sewing business, dental office and the original Bottineau Clinic before moving to Fourth and Bennett Street. The last owner was Glenn Swanson who operated his law office out of the building.

Individuals, who wish too stay updated on the restoration project, can go to www.StoneBankBlog.wordpress.com or www.StoneBank.org. Individuals, who want to donate money to the project, can send it to 511 Ohmer St., Bottineau, ND 58318.

Touchstones, Inc., is also looking for any interior pictures of the inside of the building when it was a bank, and for photos of the bank’s founders. Individuals, willing to share pictures with Touchstones, please contact Kessler at the Stone bank’s website, or take them to Karen Larson at the Spectrum Gift Haus.