Historical Site Roofing

Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club Case Study

The Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club was another unique situation in which WeatherBarrier provided some much needed relief for some special needs. The Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club is located on Philadelphia’s famous ‘Boat House Row’. We were originally contacted to provide the club with new roofing. That in itself was not any problem. It was after we discussed the project with the club that we discovered their need to conform to ‘Philadelphia’s Historic District Guidelines’. Simply put, the club needed to reroof their building taking care not to alter the original architectural intent of the roof. The club told me that their building was one of the oldest on the row. We quickly discovered it being originally built with a flat seam tin roof, painted with the typical ‘tinner’s red lead’ paint of the mid 1800’s. The problem was the cost in refitting this roof with tin which is a labor intensive, and very expensive system.

Enter WeatherBarrier.

We suggested a smooth surface modified bitumen roof system which we would then cover with WeatherBarrier’s elastomeric ‘colonial red’ finish color. This would appear to be tin from a distance yet cost only a fraction of tin roofing. The club was very interested and asked us to call the city officials for clarification. We did, and the city agreed. WeatherBarrier provided an excellent alternative for our customers.

Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club Step-by-Step Roofing Guide

	Step 1: Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club is one of the oldest buildings on Boat House Row. While it’s roof is not entirely visible from grade, the strict standards of the Philadelphia Historic Commission dictates complete aesthetic compliance with alterations which involve any part of a facade (or roof).
	Step 2: As you can see, this surface takes on the appearance of painted metal….just what all involved were looking for. The underlying modified bitumen roof provides an excellent surface to apply WeatherBarrier over. First we applied the primer which goes on white but dries clear, then we applied a base coat, and then two finish coats. This was a rather simple application as we were looking for purely aesthetics out of the product. No need to pursue a warranted specification which would have involved much more work, material, and higher cost.
	Step 3 If you look closely at this picture you can see the ‘bleed out’ lines of the modified bitumen where the sheets overlap. These tiny puddles almost look like soldering efforts which one would find on tin roofs. Again, a nice fit.
	Step 4 Another concern to be dealt with was the tiny decoration lighting which again is mandatory on all Boat House Row buildings. Cooper Roofing had to design a system to allow for these lights without compromising the integrity of the roof’s edge. We utilized a free floating sytem with non penetrating roof anchors. The modified bitumen and WeatherBarrier surface was key in making this an easy solution.
	Step 5 This was one job that was indeed a pleasure to do. The scenery was magnificent as the boats were always coming and going. Cooper Roofing was pleased to be a part of the WeatherBarrier solution at ‘The Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club’. With regular resurfacing, which will build up the finish over time, this roof will continue to not only satisfy the historic segment, but the owners and caretakers as well. Maintaining the surface with periodic elastomeric coatings will ensure protection of the underlying modified bitumen, prolonging the roof’s life span considerably.

Cooper Roofing Corporation - 610.275.7663 (ROOF)