Follansbee Roofs Top Historic Restoration Project

Follansbee TCSII® roofs top the top two main residential buildings at Stonington Commons, an historic restoration project that shaped an upscale mixed-use development from the nineteenth-century foundry in Stonington, CT. During construction in 2003, fire engulfed three buildings at the site, but the project team forged ahead.

Stonington Commons is a $40 million mixed-use complex that rose from the ashes on historic Water Street. The site features seven new single-family homes, 34 high-end condominiums, a yacht club and marina, 800 feet of waterfront paths, and room for street-level retail shops. Local residents originally resisted the construction project because of their desire to maintain the town’s historic integrity.

“We specified Follansbee TCS II for contextual reasons,” said Project Architect, Yetsuh Frank of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners, LLP. “The pewter colour and type of metal are common for industrial building. These had been industrial buildings in the past and TCS II fit that flavour in the buildings’ new life.”

Over 50,000 sq. feet of Follansbee TCS II Terne Coated Stainless roofing material tops the two main residential buildings – the Atwood Machine Company building (1906) and the Trumbull building (1849) – at Stonington Commons.

“TCS II is one of the few materials that can stand up to a coastal environment,” Frank continues. “Follansbee is one of the largest manufacturers in the industry, so there was no question as to the quality of material or the support available.”

In 2003, during the demolition phase of the project, fire spread through the wooden interior structure of the Atwood building. The Foundry, which was used during the War of 1812, and the Trumbull building also caught fire. The fire set construction back at least one year and entirely changed the scope of the project: instead of an historic restoration, parts of the project called for historic replication.

The Atwood Machine Company, made entirely from brick and wooden supports, had collapsed from the fire. The building that stands now is entirely new and made to replicate the original. “When I look at the Atwood building, it’s almost astonishing how accurate it turned out,” Frank said.

The Trumbull Building, made from granite, mostly withstood the fire. Only the top third of the building was lost. The project team, continuing in their commitment to historical accuracy, tracked down the original Rhode Island quarry that produced the granite used to construct the building. The new parts of the building blend seamlessly with the old. The project was complete in the fall of 2005.

TCS II formed the standing seam roofs, wall panels, gutters, downspouts and windor, door and cornice trim.

TCS II is an architectural stainless steel coated with Follansbee’s patented ZT® (zinc/tin) alloy. As a result of Follansbee’s extensive metallurgic research, TCS II does not require painting and is designed to weather naturally to an attractive grey patina and can withstand severe corrosive conditions including industrial, coastal and walt-water environments. Follansbee offers nine preformed profiles for metal roofing including six standing seam profiles, but the highly versatile TCS II can be tailored into a variety of design forms – from the traditional standing seam roof to a vertical wall, barrel applications, shingles and customized sections in flat or spherical shapes. TCS II is solderable and virtually maintenance-free.

This is another chapter in Stonington Common’s storied history. An industrial park that once produced horseshoe nails, rifles for the Civil War, submarine parts for World War II, and most recently plastic bottles, has been restored and transformed into grand and sought-after residences overlooking the Long Island Sound.

Beyer Blinder Belle, New York, NY, was responsible for master planning at the site and the design of the Atwood Machine Company, Trumbull Building and The Foundry. Susan Lockwood, a local architect, designed the single-family homes and the interiors of the condominiums. Beyer Blinder Belle teamed with marine consultants to carefully design the marina without disrupting the marine ecology with construction or contaminated land, and materials from the site which had previously been declared a Brownfield. Hodess Building Co. served as the general contractor; Cambridge Sheet Metal, as the distributor; and Crocker Architectural Sheet Metal Co. as the installer.

Follansbee Steel offers a wide range of metal roofing proeucts for commercial and residential construction including Terne II®, KlassicKolors®, TCS II® and TCS SatinT. Founded in the early 1800s, the Follansbee, WV, company has been manufacturing in its current location for more than 100 years. Modern alloys developed and patented by Follansbee have taken the original tin roof to new heights of performance and longevity. For more information, visit the company’s web site at www.follansbeeroofing.com.