In each Transitions section of Preservation magazine, we highlight places of local and national importance that have recently been restored, are currently threatened, have been saved from demolition or neglect, or have been lost. Here are five from Summer 2020.

Restored: Sawmill, Sheldon Jackson School

The sawmill building of the former Sheldon Jackson School in Sitka, Alaska, has been revitalized as a research support center and gift shop for the Sitka Sound Science Center (SSSC). One of 17 contributing structures to the campus, which is designated as a National Historic Landmark District, the 1941 sawmill housed classes in European boat building and wood-milling techniques for Alaska Native students. After the school shuttered in 2007, many of its buildings were deeded or sold to organizations and a summer camp. In 2010, SSSC purchased two, including the sawmill. Used primarily for storage after its machinery was sold in 1976, the building’s wood pilings and galvanized metal siding had severely deteriorated, but its original spruce floorboards and trusses remained functional. With guidance from local preservation experts, contractors, and architecture firm Welsh Whiteley Architects, SSSC decided to deconstruct the sawmill and rebuild it on a new concrete foundation, preserving its original frame. Workers replicated the original metal siding while salvaging some of it and reusing it on the interior. Funded by a combination of grants, public funds, and individual contributions, the $1.2 million project was completed in June of 2020.

Restored: Bacon's Castle Slave Quarter

The last surviving slave quarter on the grounds of Bacon’s Castle, a former plantation in Surrey, Virginia, has been restored. Constructed out of wood and brick in two stages between 1829 and 1848, the two-story building was once one of many dispersed across the site and likely housed three or four families of enslaved people. It later served as rental lodging for sharecroppers and other tenants before nonprofit Preservation Virginia purchased Bacon’s Castle in 1973, operating the historic site as a house museum. With the intention of telling the fuller story of life on the property, which is a National Historic Landmark, work commenced on restoring the slave quarter in mid-2018. Its four window sashes had become compromised, and its south chimney was leaning into the adjacent gable, further damaging the decayed wood siding. To relieve pressure on the gable, craftsmen temporarily removed some of the bricks that were protruding from the chimney stack and pressing into the siding, cutting them down before reinstallation. Roughly 25 percent of building’s siding needed replacement, while the rest was stripped, washed, and repainted. Repairs were completed in November of 2019. New signage interprets the structure for visitors, describing the building’s evolution over time.

Saved: Gottlieb's Department Store

The former Gottlieb’s Department Store in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, was saved from the wrecking ball less than a week before its planned demolition. Morton Gottlieb and his family built the two-story structure in 1906, operating their business on the ground level for about 80 years while taking up residence upstairs. The building also held a post office until 1917. The Gottlieb family sold the building in the 1980s or ’90s, but it remained in use as retail space. Cracks in the foundation formed—signaling uneven settling—and the floor on the second level became warped.