By Gaius Hennin, P.E.
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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