SCOPE OF WORK: Phase 1 – Missouri Historic Tax Credit Applications for exterior restoration
CLIENT: Atkins-Johnson Farm, LP
INVESTMENT: $525,000
COMPLETED: Spring 2011
AWARDS: Preserve Missouri Statewide Preservation Award (2011)
Atkins-Johnson Farmhouse c. 1925
The Atkins-Johnson Farmhouse is a unique structure in this part of the country. The house was developed in a series of additions over the past 180 years. John Z. Atkins constructed a two-story log house on the farm circa 1826. Between 1850 and 1860 he expanded the house into a larger I-house plan, encompassing the existing log home within its walls. A stone in the west chimney has the date “1853″ etched into it. In 1902 the Atkins family sold the property to the Schroeder family who may have rented it to tenant farmers during their 18 years of ownership. In 1920 Mary A. Johnson purchased the house from the Schroeders and lived there until 1991. The dining room, kitchen, and porches at the northeast and northwest corners of the house were constructed at the back of the house between 1900 and the 1950s. After the Johnson’s occupation, the house was rented out until 2004. The City of Gladstone purchased the house and two surrounding acres in 2005 with plans to rehabilitate the house into a museum.
Atkins-Johnson Farmhouse before restoration
The rehabilitation, designed by BNIM Architects, included the restoration of the wood lap siding, which had been covered by shake shingles since sometime in the early twentieth century; installation of insulation in the walls; stabilization and restoration of the masonry chimneys; restoration of the existing historic windows and manufacture of new windows where the historic ones were missing; and installation of new HVAC (geothermal heat pump) and electrical systems. When the shingle siding was removed, it was discovered that the historic lap siding was too deteriorated for reuse. A small portion was salvaged for reinstallation on the front elevation, under the porch, so that visitors can view the original siding. New wood siding that matched the original in profile and dimension was installed. Insulation was sprayed into the wall cavity and electrical conduit run in the perimeter walls while the siding was removed from the walls. A special system of insulating the walls in the log portion of the home was devised to protect the historic logs from the insulation.
Atkins-Johnson Farmhouse during restoration - exposed log structure
Rosin Preservation prepared the historic tax credit applications and helped troubleshoot preservation issues as the arose during construction. With the exterior work complete, the City is planning the interior renovation. The Atkins-Johnson Farmouse will provide an excellent example of a nineteenth-century farmhouse and will be a wonderful asset to the city and surrounding communities.
