Watertown, MA ~ 1925
Nestled in a quiet residential neighborhood above the slow-moving Charles River, this industrial building was demolished in the fall of 2014, yielding a small lot of tight-grained Heart Pine structural timbers.
The warehouse/manufacturing space was constructed of a hodgepodge of materials, including steel, brick, wood, and cinderblock. Occupied by a number of industrial and commercial tenants over its lifespan, it was last used by the Circle Supply Co. for distribution of plumbing equipment and supplies. The warehouse was something of an outlier in a mostly residential neighborhood, and found itself in the midst of a neighborhood’s transformation into a denser residential place.
Estimated by the developer’s architect to have been built in 1925, the structure was built out and added on to in multiple iterations. The presence of such tight-grained Heart Pine beams suggests to us that at least one part of the warehouse was built decades before 1925.
Plans for the lot include a LEED-certified mixed-use development of approximately 66 residential units, seven live-work spaces, and 143 parking spots. The project is being touted as seamlessly connecting to nearby parks and trails.
Demolition of 45-47 Bacon Street
Longleaf sourced a number of slow-growth Heart Pine timbers from the Bacon Street site. Many beams suffered a great deal of damage during the demolition, while others featured extensive rot caused by long-term leaks in the building. Each piece will be carefully de-nailed and chopped back to preserve usable wood. Despite the high waste factor, our sawyers will yield beautiful tight-grained quartersawn and flatsawn Heart Pine floorboards.
