Construction Update Week #29

With the new structurally stabilizing foundation nearly complete, the construction crews from Oliver & Company and Add-A-Garage are beginning work on other elements of the house. Plumbing for the basement is going into place and the footings for the terrace stairs are being dug. During the course of digging the footings this week, the crews unearthed some wonderful artifacts from the previous owners’ time in the house. If you have been following these updates since the beginning, you know that we have been forced to speculate some about the history of the house as we uncover objects that have not been seen in decades.

 

The form of the elevator shaft is coming together as our team works from the ground up. The construction crew has poured the concrete for the shaft in the basement, and is now working up to the first floor. The addition of an elevator to the house was by far the most difficult decisions made by our team. Its inclusion would allow all visitors access to the upstairs portion of the house, but we had concerns about such a major modification to the building. Reassuringly, some of David Ireland’s friends mentioned that he had always wanted to make the house more accessible, expressly including a desire to install an elevator. While this revelation was a wonderful validation of the decision our team had made, it is not entirely surprising. Our mission here at the 500 Capp Street Foundation is to carry on the legacy of David Ireland, and he is at the center of every decision we make.