Nathaniel Russell Oval Window Repair

Charleston, SC: 1989

While I was in town working on Miles Brewton, I was very much involved with Historic Charleston which is headquartered in Nathaniel Russell, an 1808 neoclassical townhouse. As we began the initial survey of the house, everyone was concerned about the condition of the oval window that lights the remarkable cantilevered "flying" stair that is the home's trademark. I was asked to undertake it as a project along with one of Tommy Graham's employees, Sara Nell. Nobody could have known what was coming in the next year, but I am certain if we had not dealt with this window before Hurricane Hugo hit in September 1989 it would have been lost. We reinstalled the oval window in July. During the hurricane windows on the opposite side of the building were pulled out, blown over the top of the building, and landed in a nearby churchyard, but this window remained unscathed.