Restoring Historic Staircases

Restoring Historic Staircases 
35 Instructional Hours, February 24 – 28, 2025
Taught by Noel Sanchez in person at the Esek Hopkins House in Providence (97 Admiral Street) and Casa Buena’s Shop (185 Gallup Street) every day from 8am to 4pm.

This week-long course teaches the skills and techniques needed to properly restore historic staircases.  This is a hands-on course taught in a colonial home, built in 1756 and recognized as a landmark building by the City and the National Park Service.  Participants will learn by doing, effectively restoring three of the home’s original staircases, with modules covering the evaluation of the structural integrity of staircases, overview of stair construction methods used historically, structural repairs, tread stabilization, repair and replacement; handrail repairs, baluster reproduction and refinishing, and creating missing components using readily available tools. This course can enroll a maximum of six students and culminates in the award of a completion certificate from Providence Preservation Society.  Instructor can teach in Spanish as well as English – course is open to Spanish-speaking students.

Pre-requisites: 3 years of carpentry experience. Demonstrable familiarity with shop tools (table saw and mitre saw at a minimum, experience with lathe, planers, band saws and joiners preferred).  Must have and bring your own tool belt tools (hammer, knife, tape measure, and square).

Application Deadline: Monday, February 3, 2025.  Applicants may be asked to interview by Zoom the week of February 3, and notifications of acceptance will be communicated by Monday, February 10.

Course Fee: $200. 1-2 needs-based scholarships available upon application.

This course is subsidized by grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the City of Providence’s Department of Parks.

Apply Here.

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