After watching TV episodes of a program called, Restoration Road with Clint Harp, the word restoration applies to more than saving buildings. Restoration applied to the country would expose the sacredness of this great country, the USA.
The show Restoration Road tells you a short history of the locale of each episode. It details the glory of the variety of American architecture and the stunning craftsmanship behind each restoration. It emphasizes great American ingenuity. The powers at be right now believe only in their own greatness. They should be made to watch Restoration Road that reveals the soul of America.
One particular episode, the Waco Boathouse, that aired Jul 30, 2021 fascinated me and gave me insight to say, “Here is a story demonstrating the real sacredness of America found when you peel back the layer of years of add-ons and short cuts, bad decisions, wrong paint choices and political power at all cost. Here, Clint transforms a timber frame barn from Carlisle, New York, into a boathouse on the Brazos River in Waco, Texas.
The idea for this 1,200 sq. foot boathouse came about when the Waco Rowing Club needed a home for its rowing boats. Rowing is America’s oldest and most traditional sport, dating back to the Victorian period in the early 1800’s, when many cities had rowing boathouses lining the banks of their rivers.
The main structure is built from an 1840’s New York barn frame. The boathouse is located upriver from Waco on the bank of the Brazos River that flows through Waco on its way from the Texas panhandle to the Gulf of Mexico. As it passes through Waco it forms a long stretch of flat, calm water perfect for rowing.
A Victorian boathouse was designed for the structure. They used repurposed wood for much of the outside Victorian trim. The Victorian Period of architecture, named for Queen Victoria of England, is known for its many colors, of which the boathouse has eight, along with its ornate trim work. The ability of carpenters to make sharp curves with finer saw blades, a technological innovation of that period, gave them the inspiration for all this scrolling Victorian trim, or “gingerbread” as it became known.
Here is an example of one American’s vision who found a barn, bought the center piece, moved it, and designed this new structure. The video itself gives you an appreciation my words can’t deliver of the creative process. Because I also watch the TV show with Brett Waterman called, Restoration, filmed in California, I have had the extra pleasure of a US history class and an intensive architectural emersion class. I highly recommend them both to reconnect with American’s core strength.
Brett’s passion is restoration and returning various types of historical homes to their original glory. The houses become functional with modern technology but make you say every time, “Wow.” It occurs to me that we need to elect people who are committed to restoring the American way of life with as much care and understanding and knowledge as these two men and the experts they surround themselves with who take on various aspects of the job. It is a template for saving the country that we love and preserving the constitution that inspired men created. I hope you agree with this analogy.
Main Street Rocky Mount 