TEXT of Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission letter to Tol Brothers concerning the repair of the Naval Home roof

March 18, 2003

Zvi Barzilay, President
Toll Brothers, Inc.
3103 Philmont Avenue
Huntington Valley PA 19006

Dear Mr. Barzilay:

On March 7, 2003, several representatives of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission and State Senator Schwartz's office met with Mitch Kotler, Andrew Terhune, and Adam Barzilay of your firm as well as Dr. Richard Tyler, Philadelphia Historical Commission; Dave Perry, Deputy Commissioner of Licenses & Inspections; Jim Campbell, Robert Thomas and Rich Stang, Campbell Thomas & Company, to discuss the U. S. Naval Home, a National Historic Landmark. Included as part of the meeting was a walkthrough of Biddle Hall and one of the dependencies to assess he damage from the February 3, 2003 fire and general condition of the dependency.

After the walkthough, the group had a productive discussion on how the parties would work together in an expeditious manner to protect this historically significant building. The most important consideration was that all work, including documentation of the building's present condition before any clean-up proceeds, must be conducted in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.

On Thursday, March 13, 2003, staff from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission again met with Dr. Richard Tyler, Jim Campbell, Adam Barzilay and Mitch Kotler to discuss the replacement design for the roof. Although the roof structure and configuration are seriously damaged, it is imperative that the former configuration of the roof be maintained, including the clerestory and dormers. These are character-defining features of the roof and the attic space and must be preserved during the reconstruction of the roof. Additionally, the modified truss system needs to be kept to 16 feet on center in order to maintain the openness of the clerestory and the dormers within the new residential units as was presented in Elliott Rothschild's plans for the building dated 1983. The new modified trusses could be constructed with modern materials and configuration as they will be hidden in the partition walls proposed for use on the 2nd floor - attic space. Various engineering options were discussed, but it is imperative that any reconstruction of these spaces retain the interior relationship of the clerestory and dormers and that all work meets the Standards.

At Thursday's meeting, there was some discussion that the Standards were too subjective. The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation are designed to offer flexibility without being constrictive. This flexibility allowed the building to be subdivided into 66 units and allowed new units to be constructed on the site as approved by the National Park Service (NPS) in 1985; this plan, however, did not include plans that would affect the integrity of the roof design and structure.

As we discussed in our Thursday meeting, large format photography, undertaken according to guidelines developed by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) are required in addition to measured drawings of attic, to document the conditions of the building. Drawings should include:

1. roof plan;
2. rear elevation showing galleries and porch details;
3. elevation and section through portico
4. floor plan of the entire attic
5. elevation of each of the wings showing entrances, ventilation panels;
6. section through the wing from dormer to dormer;
7. detail of the existing truss system;
8. detail of the prow at the end of the hall;
9. detail of the dormer;
10. detail of the clerestory and its operating system;
11. detail of typical dormitory room entrance including molding profiles, door, and ventilation system; and
12. details of various molding profiles.

Although the Toll Brothers, Inc. has owned this building since 1987 and has submitted several proposals to the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservtion, none of them have been undertaken. During this consultation period, Toll Brothers, Inc. has provided only limited maintenance of the property, resulting in serious deterioration of the property. Both the Advisory Council and the Commission are very concerned about the state of these buildings and wish to see it improved immediately.

As a National Historic Landmark, all measures must be taken to preserve the overall integrity of the Naval Home. Accordingly, when the Federal government signed the MOA to excess the proeprty, it was agreed that the covenants included in the transfer would provide for future development and rehabilitation to adhere to the Secretary of Interior's Standards, unless otherwise agreed. In this instance, the SHPO and Council feel confident that the recommended treatment discussed on Thursday is reasonable, consistent with Standards, and preserves the historic integrity of the Naval Home.

The federal government and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission encourage the reuse of these historic buildings and will assist in any way possible to further this endeavor.

Thank you for your consideration. If you have any additional questions, please contact [name omitted] of my staff. He can be reached at [number omitted].

Sincerely,
Jean H. Cutler, Director
Bureau for Historic Preservation

Return to March 19 Naval Home Meeting Report

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