WILMINGTON — The City of Wilmington is free from the sight of scaffolding obstructing the view of City Hall after a $600,000 repair project was completed last week.
The repairs began in October 2016 and involved repairs of several integral pieces of the building.
The repairs included, ” … removing and repairing the modillions – a decorative supporting bracket – and repairing sections of the roof, soffit and gutters that had deteriorated. More than 130 modillions decorate the top of the historic building, many of them dating back to when the building was originally constructed in the 1860s,” Communications Manager Malissa Talbert said.
The original modillions weighed about 60 pounds and were created out of cast iron, the repair crew removed each one, cleaned it, painted it, and made any repairs before reattaching them to the building. Talbert said there are some modillions made from tin that were installed previously. Those have now been replaced with cast iron duplicates.
City Hall is listed on the National Register for Historic Places and all repairs and improvements must meet strict guidelines to protect the historical integrity of the building, Talbert said.
Michael Praats can be reached via email at Michael.p@localvoicemedia.com
