Sweden's Center Schoolhouse Renovation

Thank you...

• Town of Sweden, SHS members, and donors, for financial support.
• Volunteers who cleared the building of its contents and carefully stored archived materials.
• Acadia Contractors for the professional removal of asbestos from the building.
• Dan Sullivan for marking and cataloging all of the original panes of glass so they can be replaced where they belong.
• Doug Porter for removal of the furnace and ceiling tiles and hauling stuff to the dump.
• Warren Excavation for the removal of the wooden addition.
• Joseph Neville, PE, for the design and installation of back wall foundation and overall restoration.
• Libby Masonry of Fryeburg for the beautiful reconstruction of the back wall.
  

This list will be updated as we progress

24 Sept 2017 Removing asbestos was the first step in the renovation of the schoolhouse.  This was completed on 23 Sept 2017. Original window panes from the original 9 over 6 frames were removed and asbestos-laden caulk was removed from the frames. Original panes will be replaced once frames have been refinished.
24 Sept 2007 The south end of the schoolhouse. In the 19th century, the door shown here was the main entry of the schoolhouse. The window on the left of the brick portion is the bathroom that was added in the 1960s. The window on the right secured the "vault" used for records during the time the building was used as the Selectmen's office. We hope to replace the window on the right with the original that was replaced by the secure window. See below for information about the white structure on the left.
24 Sept  2017 This addition was made to the schoolhouse during its last decade of use as a school. It served as the kitchen. The addition is now crumbling inside and out and will be removed, along with the oil tank. This removal is scheduled to take place the week of 25 Sept 2017.
5 Oct 2017 The addition and oil tank have been removed.
5 Oct 2017 The furnace and associated ductwork have been removed.
5 Oct 2017 The acoustic ceiling tiles have been removed from the main room.
5 Oct 2017 Tiles and plumbing have been removed from the bathrooms.
5 Oct 2017 Old wallpaper discovery. Wonder who Donna was?
22 July 2018 The stabilization of the back wall begins. The door on the left and the window on the right were finally exposed by removal of the tarp-covered plywood that has covered this space for years. The door on the right is the opening made to access the wooden structure. Take a look at the foundation that was exposed.  See following photos for more.
22 July 2018 This shows the structure above the two doors. Note the original lathing that was exposed.
22 July 2018 And below, the doors...
22 July 2018 The deterioration of the back wall foundation led to shifts in the foundation and bricks on the north wall of the building.
28 July 2018 A below-grade foundation has been poured and the original granite blocks replaced and aligned.
30 July 2018 The mason has started the exacting task of laying replacement bricks. We decided to keep a door opening in the back wall.
21 August 2018 This phase is complete. The building should stand at least another 170 years. Scroll back up this page to get a sense of the great work that has been done. Thank you all for your support and hard work. (More photos below)