SAN JOSE, CA
THE THOMAS FALLON HOUSE MUSEUM
HISTORIC PRESERVATION/
REPAIR AND RECONSTRUCTION
This Victorian home was constructed in 1854 by Thomas Fallon, the city’s mayor at the time, and is listed as a city landmark. It is now used as a local historical museum and features 15 rooms, all furnished with furniture and artifacts from the late 1800’s. It is open to the public and is operated by History San Jose. This facility is a popular destination for local elementary school children and teachers because it offers a unique hands-on experience for children to understand how life was during San Jose’s early years.
The building had previously been restored by the city, but it had not been properly maintained and was left to deteriorate. There had been a number of leaks in the roof that damaged the ceilings in the rooms below and many of the existing wood windows suffered dry rot and other significant damage from the lack of periodic maintenance. In addition the north deck with the janitor’s closet below needed to be rebuilt; the exterior paint had deteriorated to the point where the horizontal wood siding beneath was exposed to the weather; some of the brick at the base of the building needed to be removed, replaced, and have its mortar repointed; and the museum’s existing mechanical and climate control systems did not work properly and caused excessive heat and humidity gains that were beginning to damage the museum’s artifacts and furnishings.
We were responsible for preparing all drawings and specifications required for all of the repair and reconstruction work performed on the building, including the design modifications needed to correct the deficiencies in the museum’s existing mechanical and climate control system. We were also responsible for the periodic monitoring of the project, and we represented the project on the agency’s behalf over the entire course of the development and its construction process.
Client: The Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Jose