Friday, September 7, 2012

Searspark Gazebo


We recently traveled to East Hampton, Connecticut to raise the Governor William A. O'Neil Performing Arts Gazebo in Sears Park, located right on Lake Pocotopaug.  Mr. O'Neil, an East Hampton native,  was a popular governor of Connecticut from 1980-1989.

The gazebo bears his name in hand carved letters with flat black relief in crisp contrast to the western red cedar timbers.  In addition to the excellent natural rot resistance provided by the cedar, all the timbers are coated with our favorite oil-Land Ark Exterior.

The structure of the building is complex-what appears to be a simple hip roof from the exterior proves to be much more interesting as you enter the building and look up. The hip rafters are actually carried by two clear-spanning, flat topped trusses, similar to what you would see flanking a railroad bridge.  The two trusses run parallel to your entrance into the building, providing a clearly defined line of sight out to the lake. It is hard to decide whether to look out and admire the view or to look up and admire the view. The building tie-downs are stainless steel threaded rods concealed inside the 10x10 posts, attached to both the post and the concrete slab with acrylic based adhesive.  The roof sheathing is a nominal 3x6 end and edge grooved plank, made from three plies of Douglas fir laminated to together, capable of spanning twelve feet. This product eliminates the need for jack rafters, resulting in a clean roof structure, consisting of only principle and hip rafters.

The architect for this project was Cheryl Newton Architect LLC (www.cnarchitect.com) from Glastonbury, CT and the general contractor was Scope Construction (www.scopeconstruction.com) from New Britain, CT.

If you find yourself in East Hampton, stop in and take a look-the gazebo is hard to miss when you walk or drive in.  Park hours are 7AM-8PM.

If you are interested in having us design and build a gazebo for you, call or stop in at our shop-we are always happy to talk structure with you.Governor William A. O'Neill Performing Arts Gazebo Searspark in East Hampton, CT

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