Not all preservation work is as straightforward as maintaining a building exactly where it stands. Sometimes it requires a bit of creativity and an acknowledgement that the work is ongoing and ever changing.

When the construction of Pope-Leighey House, now a National Trust Historic Site, was completed in 1941 at its original site in Falls Church, Virginia, there was no way to predict the geographic distance it would travel, and some of the long-term impacts to the building's structure. In recent years, it became apparent that it was time to evaluate the current state of the building's roof, identify any issues, and work to address them in order to ensure the home’s stability.

In the summer and fall of 2023, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the team at Pope-Leighey House began work on a major deferred maintenance project—addressing water intrusion and structural damage to the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Usonian home's roof. In addition to the expertise of Mark Stoner, senior director of preservation architecture and Graham Gund Architect of the National Trust, MCWB Architects, McMullan & Associates, and Standard Restoration & Waterproofing helped make the repairs and restoration possible.

This photo essay documents the restoration with a detailed look at some of the challenges and solutions to preserving this historic home for a long time to come.

A Modernist Masterpiece on the Move

Originally built for Loren and Charlotte Pope, this Usonian Style home was sold to Robert and Marjorie Leighey in 1946. Following the death of her husband, Marjorie Leighey fought to save the home from demolition when Interstate-66’s impending construction was slated to cut directly through its original location. Led by her passion for the home, and with the help of the Department of the Interior, Virigina’s Governor Albertis S. Harrison, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the home was saved. The home was dismantled and moved 20 miles south to Woodlawn Plantation, the National Trust Historic Site in Alexandria, Virginia, where Leighey could enjoy lifetime tenancy.

This new location would guarantee future longevity and provide access for visitors to experience one of Wright's earliest Usonian homes for themselves. In 1995, decades after the first move, the National Trust discovered that the marine clay where the home had been placed had caused the foundation to become unstable, requiring the home to be dismantled and reassembled again 30 feet away to ensure the building's stability.

Remove, Replace, Restore

The roofing project included complete removal and replacement of the existing protective roofing material, as well as all of the copper gravel stop flashing installed in 1995. Prior to the start of roof work, areas of concern where minor leaking had occurred were accounted for. However, after the old roofing and flashing were removed, substantial areas of water damage and rot were discovered within the roof structure, including some significant structural damage. Additionally, several wood fascia boards were found to be severely deteriorated, necessitating their replacement. Following additional structural assessment and planning, areas of roof framing were either reinforced or replaced entirely, adding significant time and cost to the project.

During the initial research into new and appropriate roof materials—including Wright's original construction specifications—the design team came across Frank Lloyd Wright's proprietary roofing mixture which he called “wearcoat”. This same mixture of cement, sand, fiberglass, and asphalt was also used in the construction of other similar Usonian homes, though it reportedly failed quickly. When seeking out modern materials for the roof, it was decided that using a fluid-applied waterproof membrane with a broadcast sand aggregate would be the best approximation to the look to Wright's original “wearcoat” material.