Boston – Historic Boston Incorporated recently completed the first phase of restoration on the 1804 Clapp House in Dorchester, celebrating the work of a student carpentry team from the North Bennet Street School of Boston on the historic – and future – residence building. Historic Boston Incorporated employees and students from the North End
school, which teaches traditional trades including preservation carpentry. Restoration of the Clapp House, named after a family that built the 1804 house and home of Animal Rescue League Founder Anna Clapp Harris Smith, is the first project of an ongoing collaboration between Historic Boston Inc. and the North Bennet Street School. The team works to repair overlooked historic buildings in Boston while helping North Bennet Street students train in real-world preservation projects. Students complete a full scope of preservation carpentry projects, and Historic Boston manages the masonry improvements and property acquisitions.
To date, restoration of the Clapp House has involved new windows and sills, foundation reconstruction, and chimney rebuilding. The students removed shingles to reveal original clapboards, which were repaired before being painted with a primer. In the summer, North Bennet Street and Historic Boston will team up to repair the house’s roof structure.
The Clapp House project is expected to be completed in 2012 and is intended not only to restore an important historic building but also to provide one and possibly two new residences to the neighborhood.
