03/08/2024
Do I have a story for you!
Today we began tearing off the existing roof on the Mineral Range Depot building in Houghton.
It was originally built in 1903 by David Hood out of Duluth, MN with one foot thick pieces of Jacobsville sandstone.
Our area, the Keweenaw is home to Jacobsville sandstone which is some of the oldest rock found anywhere on earth!
The construction method was unusual as most single story structures back then had a wood frame with stone added as a covering, but they didn't cut any corners here.
Now back to what we found today...
As we were tearing off we realized the top half was not sheeted, but the bottom half was. The only issue with the sheeting along the bottom was the fact that it was covering up a layer of rolled roofing, which is incorrect.
After speaking with the owner, we removed the sheeting along the bottom & found a beautiful curved roof below!
That was a cool surprise to find as roofs are not built with such craftsmanship anymore.
Here's the other surprise I found out after the fact.
Come to find out the train company that used to go through this depot was aptly named "Copper Range Railroads".
That definitely put a smile on my crew & me after finding that out!
Talk about alignment!
To have the honor of bringing this beautiful building back to its original state, then find out the train company & us share the same name meant a lot.
These opportunities are where it's at & we can proudly say we aided in helping this building stand for another 100yrs!
God is Good. 🙏
U.S. Marine Veteran Owned & Operated 🇺🇲
Licensed General Contractor
CertainTeed Master Craftsman™️ Roofing Contractor
(906) 281-0288
copperrangeroofing.com
