Thanks to the many generous neighbors who contributed to the restoration work on the nearly 100 year old Nakoma stone gateway features along Odana Road / Oneida Place and Manitou Way / Mandan Crescent. The work started in the summer of 2023 at the site of the bus crash on Odana and Oneida, and that work is now complete. One of the stone gateways at Manitou Way and Mandan Crescent is restored and the other side will be completed at a later time. The remaining stone gateways at the corners of Seneca Place and Huron Hill are still in need of long overdue maintenance and restoration. Insurance money paid for the damaged monument at Oneida Place, although the remaining seven stone monuments will only be restored if we pay for it.
This project is a partnership between the Nakoma League and the Crawford Marlborough Nakoma Neighborhood Association Click for more information
As anyone searching for good tradespeople has noticed, it’s very hard to find qualified people to complete building projects. By a stroke of luck on one of my neighborhood walks I noticed the work of a great stone mason, Matt Caygill from Mount Horeb, owner of Stonemarcs Masonry .
Completed restoration of stone the monument and copper tower roof on the corner of Oneida Place and Odana Road.
The stone gateway features were designed in 1927 by the nationally known landscape architects, Hare & Hare of Kansas City and were built to attract new residential construction in Nakoma.
Most of the original stone is in good condition, although some of the original mortar is no longer watertight, allowing water to penetrate the walls. If this condition is left unchecked the stone monuments will suffer considerable damage over time.
Matt grinds out the original mortar in preparation for tuckpointing with replacement mortar.
Following the grinding hand chisels are used to remove the mortar that is right next to the stone.
New mortar is placed in the joints using a masonry grout bag.
The tuckpointing is completed on this wall at the corner of Oneida Place and Odana Road preserving it for another 100 years. The existing copper conical tops were reinstalled on a new copper flashing.
All of this restoration work will be funded through this GoFundMe. Contact me with any questions about the project and for special opportunities for donor recognition for large contributions. Project manager Kevin Pomeroy
