It’s been a long road getting here, but the original arbor that was on the south lawn of the Swenson House is under construction! Yesterday’s photos show the forms and rebar all set for the pouring of the slab. Set in a Greek cross shape, the arbor was originally constructed with columns taken from the front of the home in 1928 when a brick portico and columns were added. We have preserved the original cypress columns, but are planning to use new materials for the columns and beams due to the cost of rehabilitating the old ones. Some of the original wood from the arbor can be seen at the southeast corner of the lawn where for his Eagle Scout project, Shawn Butler constructed a pergola.
The arbor will provide a beautiful setting for weddings, receptions and parties of all kinds on the south lawn. Thank you to Bill Emory, an engineer at CADCO Architects-Engineers and a Swenson neighborhood resident, for his many hours volunteering to do the plans for the arbor reconstruction. The lead donor for the arbor reconstruction will be announced at a later date, but we are very grateful. Estimated time for construction is about sixty days.
Update on March 12: here are some photos of the pour:
Update: Talked to Blake Riley, a manager at Jeff Luther Construction Co. yesterday. The company supplying the new columns will need to make the molds before making them. They will ship around May 5. A little delay, but things are progressing nicely. Yesterday the column footings were poured.