Project Profile: Morgan State University

Successful completion of the window restoration project at Morgan State University’s Memorial Chapel required both exceptional craftsmanship and extraordinary attention to the sensitivities of working in a historic building and active house of worship.

Constructed nearly 100 years ago and added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 2010, the stone chapel had experienced some deterioration. Its stately windows had been covered in multiple layers of paint which were peeling, cracking and chipping on interior and exterior surfaces. Glazing of the window glass was failing, wood components were displaying water damage and some elements of the window assemblies were missing, rotted or decayed beyond repair.

North Point Builders and Worcester Eisenbrandt mapped out a meticulous plan to restore the windows to their original splendor.

To enable the chapel to maintain normal operations throughout the four-month renovation, the project team divided the work into phases. Crews installed temporary barriers to protect the chapel from construction dust as workers removed, repaired and replaced the deep-set windows, restored damaged doors, cleaned and repointed exterior stone walls, and restored the portico soffit, fascia trim and columns.

“When they took the windows out to restore them in their shop, Worcester Eisenbrandt temporarily replaced the windows with plywood infills that had clear, plexiglass panels so that the chapel would still receive natural daylight,” said Greg Marks, Project Manager at North Point Builders. “Worcester Eisenbrandt was awesome. They cleaned up everything every day so that the chapel remained functional.”

Back in their workshop, the Worcester Eisenbrandt team focused on executing an accurate restoration.

“Sensitivity to the historic and religious significance of the chapel was paramount throughout the restoration process,” said Barbara Herrera, Assistant Project Manager at Worcester Eisenbrandt. “We all needed to ensure that every aspect of the restoration respected the building’s heritage, from materials selection to design considerations.”

One unusual and complex element of the window assembly presented the craftsmen with an unexpected challenge.

“The existing double-hung wood window sashes featured a tilt-function mechanism that allows the top and bottom sashes to be tilted/rotated in place to allow for easier cleaning and maintenance,” Herrera said.

That feature — which included hardwood rails within the window jamb, metal pivots and spring-loaded wheels — “was not able to be observed prior to window removal as the three components had been painted together over the numerous coats of paint applied throughout the years,” she said.

Craftsmen restored the mechanism, which hadn’t worked in many windows for decades, and altered the tilt function to prevent future damage to storm windows.