Radford’s landmark, American Legion Post #30, the small, white, peaked-roofed and porched stone building on Main Street, is nearly 100 years old and its age is showing.
Legionnaires have been working to raise funds for the service organization’s restoration of the building and awareness of the building as an historic gem.
Local architect Thompson & Litton (726 Auburn Ave.) in Radford will be helping with the restoration of the Harvey-Howe-Carper Post 30 by making preliminary measurements and drawings of the building called “as-builts.”
In an earlier interview, Legionnaire Dana Jackson of Fairlawn, noted that both the building structure and infrastructure need upgrading.
“The plumbing needs updating,” Jackson said, and “We need the eaves replaced on the side of the roof.” And the roof seems to be leaking at the two chimneys.
The American Legion is the nation’s largest wartime veterans’ service organization.
“We could use some help in getting the building fixed up,” Richard Lyckman, Post 30 commander, said.
Radford native Tyler McDaniel, 21, Virginia Tech architecture student interning with Thompson & Litton is supporting the firm’s pro bono effort, taking measurement of each room to produce computer-aided design, or autoCAD, plans.
At a recent meeting, McDaniel described the restoration process and plans.
“On behalf of the firm and myself, I would like to say that we are honored to be helping the post out with this restoration project,” he said. “We want to show the veterans here in the community that we are there for them.”
“As-builts” are drawn-up plans of buildings that are already in existence and they are used for restoration purposes. The process involves sketching out the floor plans and then measuring and writing in the dimensions,” he said.
The facade of the building is Concrete Masonry Units, or “cinder blocks”, with decorative corner quoins made to look like stone.
In 1928, the building was not built cheaply, McDaniel said.
“The ceilings on the main level are nearly 14ft, the many windows are over 8ft in height, the floors are hardwood, and the building has two large fireplaces. I think that it was very well built and the fact that it is still here 90 years later is a testament to that.”
They will complete measurements next month.