By:KEITH GRANT
A burst pipe threatens to bring a flood of tears from members of the Long Beach Historical Society as the 90-year-old home of its museum was damaged recently. The dining room of the landmark building suffered ceiling, wall and floor damage as water poured down on it from a second-floor bathroom.
Society trustee Liz Coffin Allerhand was checking in on the historic home at 226 W. Penn St. on Wednesday, Feb. 21, when she heard water raining down from the ceiling.
"It sounded like a shower," she said. "The water was coming down through the dining room and into the basement."
Allerhand went into the basement, which already had an inch of water, and turned the water off. Water damage was clearly visible on the dinning room ceiling, the room's parquet floor had warped and the wallpaper had ballooned out. The society has been restoring the entire home to its original appearance since buying it three years ago, and the dining area was the only room finished. While much of the damage can be repaired, Allerhand said, the special one-of-a-kind wall paneling cannot be replaced.
"We can do the ceiling and floors, but we can't replace that," she said, gesturing to a wall. Several pieces of furniture, which were not insured, were also ruined by the rushing water.
Allerhand and fellow trustee Ron Paganini immediately began an effort to preserve the room as much as possible. Using lumber donated by society vice president Joan Whitbread of Whitbread Lumber, Allerhand and Paganini employed a bookbinding technique to try to save the walls. They placed boards flat against the wallpaper, going so far as to secure them in some places with kitchen utensils.
"I said, 'Ron, we have to invent a solution. It's on our watch. No one's going to help us,'" Allerhand said. "Basically I was desperate and needed something to do. But I knew that paper has a memory. So we're hoping it will dry in place."
The museum is closed each winter through April 1, but best estimates at the moment suggest at least a six-week renovation. Allerhand said the society is hoping that some residents will be able to step forward and help in the work.
"Our community has always been so supportive of the museum, and right now we need skilled people," she said. The society manages to meet the mortgage on the house each month through fundraising, Allerhand said, but "this type of reconstruction effort puts us over the edge."
Located on one of Long Beach's few remaining red brick streets, the house has changed minimally since 1909 and is one that society members have had great pride in.
"This is one of the best of the old houses we have here," Allerhand said. "It really hasn't been changed. It's been a model for people preserving other old houses. It's like a communal icon. It shows what was, and what could be."
