The 1829-built Gorgas House, which is presently used as museum, is receiving an extensive exterior renovation, including historic replacements. Deteriorated mortar from the stonework will be replaced with new mortar. Stonework on the chimneys will be re-laid and the structure will get a new roof.
Window replacement project will be undertaken and old glass will be replaced with modern, clear glass to restore the original look. The replaced windows will have the same old look. The brick wall, which was not part of the original structure, will be replaced with a historically appropriate picket fence. The work is scheduled for completion in December 2010.
When first constructed, the building was used as a guest house for visiting dignitaries and professors as well as a dining hall for the students. In the late 1840s the hall was remodelled as a faculty residence. It is one of the buildings remaining on the University of Alabama’s campus, and one of the four buildings that escaped being burned by Union troops during the Civil War.
