Yes, I'm quite familiar with it. . . And Ken and Lisa are, also. In my humble opinion, the drainage was built inside the 9-stories of hollow clay tile walls in the 1910's; it was cut off at the bottom in a recent remodelling/"restoration" (whether the early 2000's tax credit or even the 1940's building of additions) and flooded in the recent N'oreaster that dumped 10" of rain into those interior downspouts. Some of us in the SHPO office have been working with the Chamberlin's issues; apparently others are asking for help as well (that's communication for you!). I've been waiting to see original plans (to compare to later rehab plans) to see if, in fact, my theory is right. Meanwhile, I've told them to run hoses into those downspouts and see if they drain. I suspect they wont ... And I suspect they don't want to for fear of what they might find out. Ken and Lisa have been a lot of help on this as I put out an SOS to them when it first came up and I didn't have a good understanding of 1910's hollow clay tile construction and if, in fact, those downspouts were intended to drain 9 stories through the wall. . . and don't anymore. Anyway, we're working with them. Am curious about who's asking for help...apparently they don't like my assessment!! Camille Agricola Bowman Easement Technical Advisor Tidewater Region Preservation Office Department of Historic Resources 14415 Old Courthouse Way Newport News, Virginia 23608 Tel: 757-503-1549 (NOTE: New Number) Fax: 757-886-2808 -----Original Message----- From: The listserv where the buildings do the talking [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rudy R Christian Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 11:50 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [BP] Should have built it with wood At least it might have floated... This just in on the PTN hot line: A quick question...I have a tax credit project in Hampton, VA called the Chamberlin Hotel, which is right on the water and is part of Fort Monroe. This impressive property (I think it's in an NHL district), recently experienced bad flood damage from a freak storm and is hurting big time. I'm not sure if I'm getting all this right, but I believe part of the problem is that the interior walls are made of gypsum block, which has absorbed a lot of moisture and is now structurally compromised. I guess drying them out isn't enough. In any case, the state office in is looking for any good architects and/or engineers who specialize in flood damage. Anyone with pins in their head have a clue what this might be about? Woody -- **Please remember to trim posts, as requested in the Terms of Service** To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: <http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html> -- **Please remember to trim posts, as requested in the Terms of Service** To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: <http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>