Since September, construction crews continued renovations to Old Main — NAU’s oldest building, originally constructed in 1894 — ensuring the historic landmark will remain sturdy and usable for years to come.

The university is spending approximately $500,000 from its building-renewal funds to pay for the project, which received approved by the Arizona Historic Preservation Office. The current renovations include resurfacing the roof and brick, a process Sheila Kuhn, the interim chief officer of NAU Capital Assets and Services, described as necessary to protect the exterior of the building.

“The current project will address the sandstone that is sloughing off from the building,” Kuhn said. “This is happening because moisture is getting into the rock via an aged rain gutter system; therefore, a new gutter system is being installed and some improvements are being made to the roof to reduce the amount of moisture that seeps into the exterior walls.”

Kuhn said Old Main needed to have the repairs finished during the fall season, and further delays were no longer a possibility.

“The university has continually sought funding support for deferred maintenance and building-renewal needs,” Kuhn said. “The sloughing rock from the building creates a potentially hazardous situation, so the work had to be completed prior to another winter.”

John Casciani, the masonry re-contractor for WesPac Construction, lead the renovations since construction began on Sept. 22. He said renovations usually bring many unforeseen problems.

“There were many areas that needed fixing,” Casciani said. “The biggest problem was finding the original stone.”

To keep the consistency in the building, the contractors needed to find Coconino sandstone of a specific color. They eventually found it in a small quarry near a Jiffy Lube.

“We have quite an artist on crew that’s worked on the building before,” Casciani said. “We had to use a special chisel to make it look like it did hundreds of years ago.”

Kuhn said Old Main previously showed more wear than the historic university buildings of desert campuses such as ASU and UA because of the climate of northern Arizona.

“The NAU campus does experience additional maintenance issues as a result of the environment,” Kuhn said. “The winter snow and freeze-thaw cycle can cause many problems if the building systems are not adequate — proper roof and gutter drainage, heat tape in some instances. Of course, snow removal is critical to extending the life of our buildings.”

The renovations are scheduled to be completed Nov. 4, but Kuhn said further work would be needed next year.

“At this time there is a fire suppression [and] detection project planned for this building in the spring,” Kuhn said. “Due to the age of the building, it does not have adequate fire protection.”

Lee Drickamer, a biology professor and author of a forthcoming book about the history of NAU buildings, said Old Main had a long history with the university that could be considered unique.

“At the time, it was to be an asylum [built for the mentally ill] in the state, but that didn’t pan out,” Drickamer said. “Then, it was to be a reform school for boys, but that didn’t pan out, either. Construction sputtered and faltered and, by 1898, the state agreed to make it a normal school [school designed to train teachers].”

Casciani said preserving the historical integrity of the building made this project different than most other he has been involved with.

“It’s been quite a challenge, but interesting,” Casciani said. “I hope we can do it justice.”