College of William & Mary
Brafferton
Period: 1723
A two-story brick structure built in 1727 to house the Indian School and its master. To provide for the safety of persons using the front and rear steps, MCWB developed historically appropriate designs for railings to flank both rear entries, ascending along the walls in each case. These railings were to avoid bearing on the steps or on the historic masonry of the walls. A restoration study for the north and south steps examined the Pennsylvania blue stone steps installed in the 1930s that have since fractured and spalled, and the masonry foundations below were holding significant volumes of free water. Some of the 18th-century stone treads and risers remained on the south steps, though they had been reset in the restoration. These remnants were recorded and a new set of steps was designed, incorporating the old material. A different stone was identified for the replacements to achieve a closer match with the originals. Cost estimates were developed for fabrication of the stonework, reconstruction of the foundation, installation of the new stones, and finally, conservation and installation of the old stones. Costs for material and fabrication were provided by British and domestic suppliers, based on our detailed drawings.