In the space of a few hours in October 1999, the work of a dozen historic trades carpenters became readily evident to anyone passing by the Peyton Randolph House. With the help of 50 - 60 other employees, the walls of the reconstructed kitchen rose into place, crowning the space previously occupied by only a brick foundation, hearth and chimney. The carpenters used a gin pole — an 18th-century crane — to hoist 100 joists on three different levels of the structure into place. Once the frame was standing and the joists were in place, the next major step was roofing the structure and then enclosing it with siding. The kitchen is 2,000 square feet divided into six rooms, five fireplaces, and a wine cellar and is larger that the average house built today.
View photos of the various stages of the frame raising.
Historic Triangle