The Patient’s Name Is Summerlin House
Emergency Intake Report
Patient: Summerlin House
Address: 430 South Church Street
Age: Approximately 125 years
Diagnosis: Progressive deterioration caused by years of deferred maintenance.
Condition: Serious, but still treatable.
Finding No. 1
The first symptom is easy to see. The paint is failing.
Most of us think of paint as something cosmetic. Historic houses know better. Paint is protection.
Once it disappears, the wood beneath begins fighting a battle it was never meant to fight alone. Every patch of exposed wood is another invitation for weather to move a little deeper into the house.
Finding No. 2
The second finding is more troubling. Water is beginning to win.
Where the porch roof meets the main wall, moisture has found an opening. It never arrives all at once. It comes one rainfall at a time, one season at a time, patiently working until sound wood slowly begins to fail.
Every preservationist knows this enemy well.
Water is rarely dramatic. It is simply relentless.
Finding No. 3
This is the photograph that concerns me the most.
The damage has moved beyond peeling paint. The wood itself is beginning to deteriorate. This is the point where postponing repairs becomes increasingly expensive. Every month that passes allows the problem to grow a little larger.
Historic houses rarely disappear because of one catastrophic event. More often, they are lost one neglected repair at a time.
We have got to find a way to save Summerlin House. It still possesses the graceful proportions over a century old.
Its magnificent porch can still welcomes visitors. Its handcrafted Victorian details continue reminding us of the remarkable craftsmen who built it.
The patient is unquestionably ill. The guarantee of recovery is statistically narrowing. I kept thinking about something physicians often say. The earlier a disease is diagnosed, the greater the chance of recovery. Perhaps the same is true of old houses.
Summerlin House has not reached the point where it cannot be saved. But it is closer today than it was yesterday . The rush to the emergency room is eminent.
I want all of us to recognize what is happening while there is still time to change the outcome? I can’t think that all that will remain are photographs of what once stood on South Church Street.
The patient still has a pulse. Now is the time to begin the treatment. You can be a part of that.
Medical Update
The patient’s condition depends upon one critical treatment. A sound roof. Without it, every rainfall allows the deterioration to continue.
Main Street Rocky Mount 