Western Specialty Contractors Restores Original Stone Wall at Historic Lochmoor Mansion Overlooking Lake Superior in Duluth, MN

 

Lochmoor Mansion on the shores of Lake Superior
 in Duluth, MN.

Chester Congdon

 St. Louis, MO --Western Specialty Contractors – Minneapolis Branch was given the opportunity to restore the original stone courtyard wall at historic Lochmoor Mansion on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, MN.

Built in 1929 by Duluth mining magnate Chester Congdon, the English Tudor style home was a gift to his daughter Marjorie.

The home’s current owners have worked meticulously to restore and preserve the mansion’s original character, including the stone wall surrounding its courtyard.

Over time, the wall had begun to lean towards the lake to the point that it needed to be rebuilt, and a portion of the wall surrounding an outdoor fireplace and entertainment space needed tuckpointing. 

Western’s masonry experts dismantled the 60-ft-long, 7-ft-tall natural stone wall, taking care to mark the exact location of each stone, and rebuilt the lake-facing wall as it was originally constructed, taking care to maintain the arch around a gate opening.

A few stones that had crumbled when removed were replaced with other stones found around the property. Western used mortar to rebuild the wall and for tuckpointing the fireplace area that had been selected from several samples by the owners the year prior.

“The biggest challenge of this project was obviously maintaining the historic integrity of the stone wall’s original construction,” said Daryl Carlson, Sales/Project Manager at Western’s Minneapolis Branch.

“We knew this was important to the owners, and with our experience working on historic masonry structures and buildings, as well as custom-mixing mortars based on historic colors and textures, we were able to rebuild the wall as it would have appeared 94 years ago when it was originally constructed.”

Western’s crews completed the project in five months and within budget.

For more information about Western’s masonry restoration services, please visit https://westernspecialtycontractors.com/masonry-services/.

About Western Specialty Contractors

Family-owned and operated for over 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing and specialty roofing.

 Daryl Carlson

Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, with 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology.

For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, please visit www.westernspecialtycontractors.com.       

 

  

 

Contact:

 

Jennifer Beidle

314-607-9459

jennifer@jbeidlepr.com