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The Great Hall Ceiling Preservation Project Update – May 2025
Richard “Moby” Marks of Richard Marks Restorations removed two pilasters in the Great Hall to expose the framing in the east wall. As we plan for the new floor above, the engineer needs to know how loads travel down through the walls. (There are live loads, which are temporary or changeable like people or storms, and there are dead loads, which are relatively static like the building itself or stanchions and benches that don’t move.) The load paths are straightforward in the other three walls, which are solid load-bearing brick masonry, but in the east wall, all of the weight travels down through wooden timbers. Taking down the pilasters lets the engineer see how many timbers there are, where they’re positioned, how big they are, and what kinds of fasteners were used (if any). All of this information will be used to inform the new design. Our hope is that we can either rely on existing framing or sensitively add additional structural elements without disturbing any historic materials.
(843) 769-2600
info@draytonhall.org
3380 Ashley River Road
Charleston, SC 29414
Open daily from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, (gate closes at 3:30 pm). The gate will accept no cash transactions.
