RESTORING THE PAST, BUILDING THE FUTURE
Exterior Renovation Complete!
Celebrate our Progress!
If you've driven past Barton Academy lately, we hope you've noticed how much work has been done on renovating Barton Academy for use as Alabama's first advanced world studies school. Much work remains on renovating the interior, but please take a look at the photos below to see the amazing before and after transformation the exterior!
December 10, 2014
Workmen have removed yards and yards of sheet-metal covering the supports of what was once an elaborate cornice that crowned the J.D. Yerby School. This major architectural feature of Yerby will be recreated as restoration continues next year. The photos below show side-by-side comparisons of how the building originally appeared and how it has looked recently. The second photo shows a close-up view of the original cornice and the cornice supports exposed after the modern covering was removed. As an interesting side point, 2015 may be Mobile's year for restored cornices. The long-lost elaborate cornice atop the Van Antwerp Building will be rebuilt next year as well. The archive photos below are from the Minnie Mitchell Archives at the Historic Mobile Preservation Society.
December 17, 2014
Workmen are cleaning and priming the cast iron fence at Barton. Enclosing the entire city block, the fence is considered one of Mobile's best examples of antebellum cast iron work.
February 19, 2015
Workmen are erecting scaffolding along the east side of Barton. Notice that the window sills across this side have already been repaired and primed.
February 27, 2015
Scaffolding is up on the front of Barton to allow access to the roof, where contractors are completing a new roof.
March 6, 2015
Scaffolding is up on Barton's iconic dome and restoration work is beginning!
November 14, 2014
Barton supporters are shouting for joy as they drive down Government Street these days. Work has begun on a $2.8 million contract to refurbish the exterior of Barton Academy. The Barton renovation will include all exteriorsurfaces – walls, windows, doors, roof and dome on the main building and similar repairs to the 1904 J.D. Yerby School. Ben Radcliff Construction is the contractor, and Hoar Program Management is overseeing the project. Work will continue into 2015, and is part of a $3.5 million allocation from the Mobile County School Board’s overall $100 million school construction program.
Meanwhile, the Barton Academy Foundation is hard at work raising $15 million for interior renovations to house a state-of-the-art school for advanced world studies.
March 25, 2015
Workmen use lifts to repair stucco on Barton's iconic facade.
March 23, 2015
Window facings throughout Barton are being repaired.
March 19, 2015
Windows have been replaced throughout the Yerby School building behind Barton.
April 9, 2015
Workmen use lifts to repair stucco on Barton's exterior.
April 7, 2015
Workmen near completion on new roof for the one-story building joining Barton and Yerby School.
April 7, 2015
The long-lost cornice topping Yerby School is being replaced. The east and south sides of the building are already underway.
May 18, 2015
Workmen use lifts to attach decorative brackets on the Yerby School building behind Barton. Replacement of the cornice, which originally crowned the building, is almost complete.
May 17, 2015
A crane lifts roofing materials atop Barton. If you look closely at this photo, you'll notice a worker painting one of the columns on the dome.
April 17, 2015
Work continues on repairing, cleaning, priming and painting Barton's iron fence. Some missing details have been replaced and the entire fence will soon be painted.
June 3, 2015
Barton's distinctive fence is receiving a new coat of custom-mixed "Barton Green." The fence, considered one of Mobile's best examples of cast iron, came from New York and was installed in 1839. The fence is noted for its arrow design with posts resembling sheaths of arrows.
July 7, 2015
Workmen have replaced all columns on the lantern atop the dome and are now painting.
Below, final touches are added to the parapet wall topping Yerby School.
June 19, 2015
The roof on the one-story cafeteria is complete. This later addition links the Barton and Yerby School buildings and had received the most damage from leaks while Barton was vacant.
June 19, 2015
Yerby School now has all new energy efficient windows that replicate the original windows. Even the ornate arched windows found on all sides of the building are perfect matches to the originlas.
July 18, 2015
The scaffolding is down on Barton's iconic dome!!! The dome is restored and gleaming in the summer sun with fresh paint. It's an amazing sight.
