Reconstruction of the Donner Reed Museum’s crumbling walls finally began this fall and have continued into winter.
On Wednesday, the Grantsville City Council approved additional funds to finish structural work on the historic adobe building during its evening meeting. The city secured $158,000 in grant money and city funds for repairs last year, and approved $95,000 in project costs last May.
The additional work, which would address the bulging southeast corner of the museum, is expected to cost approximately $30,000. Abstract Masonry Restoration was contracted by the city to complete the initial work and will be retained for the continuing work approved Wednesday.
Work crews have shored up the bulging north wall of the museum, with disintegrating adobe brick replaced with cinder block, according to Grantsville City Finance Director Sherrie Broadbent. The walls of the museum are three layers of adobe brick deep, with only the exterior layer replaced where necessary with cinder block, reinforced with rebar and concrete.
While large swaths of the north wall of the museum have been replaced, Broadbent said the contractors have completed more work than expected with the initial funds.
“With the funds we gave them, we thought they would just get the north wall done but they were able to move on to the interior because it was going so well,” she said.
The interior wall of the museum has also been replaced by reinforced cinder block where necessary, according to Broadbent. Most of the work has only involved replacing the interior layer of adobe brick up to the bottom of the windows, she said.
“They tried to keep as much adobe as possible,” Broadbent said.
Marshall recommended the City Council approve the additional work on the failing southeast corner while Abstract Masonry was still working on site. It took several months after the funds were approved in May for the contractor to begin work at the Donner Reed Museum due to other projects.
“We still do have some funds left from the grant,” Marshall said. “Let’s get the building completely structurally sound and utilize the remaining funds.”
The funds for the project include a $100,000 grant from the state Legislature, received in 2017.
In addition to more work to shore up the museum walls, the funds will cover applying historically accurate stucco to the repaired walls and repainting the interior. The stucco cannot be applied until the spring when there are consistently warmer temperatures, Marshall said.
The city hopes to reopen the museum by Memorial Day weekend, according to Marshall. The artifacts in the museum are currently being stored in shipping containers while work is ongoing.
The Donner Reed Museum building was last restored in 1950 by J. Reuben Clark, Jr. and previously served as City Hall, a schoolhouse and an automobile repair shop.