Located in Winchester, Va., John Handley High School originally opened to students on September 10, 1923. Today, the high school continues to serve students in an area facing substantial growth in its school-age population. To meet this growing demand, the Winchester Public School Board embarked on a mission in the fall of 2006 to expand the available space for its school-age children. As part of this plan, the county sought to double the size of the historic John Handley High school in the town's central downtown area.
Design plans called for a new addition to the back of the school, linked by a skywalk to the original building, which would be restored. The Winchester Public School Board committed to the restoration of the existing high school because of its historic significance within the community. As such, the school would retain its architectural integrity and maintain its place in the community's history.
Because the high school was in service during the restoration construction, the owner had concerns about security and safety issues for students and faculty. Other items of concern for the owner included the budget, completion of the work on time and the efficiency with which the work would be performed. And because of the school's valued position within the community, the owner desired a high-quality restoration to preserve the building's overall appearance.
With significant experience in this type of work, Baltimore-based Structural Preservation Systems (SPS) was brought onto the team to restore the windows, doors, and exterior trim of the existing building. The project's scope of work included scraping, sanding, restoring, and repainting the existing window frames. The existing perimeter seals were removed and installed with new sealants. On the window sashes, old paint and putty were removed, the historic glass was retained, and all windows were repainted inside and outside.
On the exterior, columns were sanded, restored, prepared and repainted. The windows contained detailed woodwork, and any failed moldings were replaced in kind. The historic balustrade, which had deteriorated and fallen, was recreated, painted and reinstalled using wood of original specie. The historic cupola was repaired, restored to original condition, cleaned and painted.
As work progressed, the team used its expert knowledge of techniques and products to address the owner's concerns and successfully perform the restoration work. A high volume, low-pressure paint spray system dramatically improved quality, productivity, and efficiency in the final paint application. Interior storm windows were used at all the original window locations in order to exceed the energy performance of the new windows in the building's new addition. Finally, parts of the school's historic woodwork had been damaged or removed over the years. Therefore, the restoration team replicated the missing parts so the building would maintain its historic appearance. The team preserved all of the building's original woodwork. Some of the entrances and exits of the original building were altered because of updated fire codes or entrance and egress requirements. For the new addition, SPS recreated the wood elements of the various entrances and exits so the new addition would maintain the architectural integrity of the original.
The John Handley High School project, completed in November of 2007, demonstrates that historic building components can be renovated to function better and last longer than new components. From a technical standpoint, the durability and performance of the renovated school is equal to or superior to the new addition. What's more, the renovated building has a striking appearance and serves as a major improvement and contribution to the quality of the community.