Opus 40 Phase 1 Week 6

21 Jun Opus 40 Phase 1 Week 6

Posted at 10:12h in Uncategorized by

Phase 1 Concludes

Phase 1 of the Opus 40 restoration concluded this week with the completion of the amphitheater wall and the new dry stone training wall.  The low wall wrapping in front of the amphitheater was rebuilt and then the worksite in the amphitheater was cleared of extra stone and swept clean.  The training wall was finished and coped, the site was tidied with piles of extra stone ready for use.  This weeks crew was: Brian Post, Michael Weitzner, Seth Harris, Ben Maron, Victoria Merriman and Sean Kelly.  Lara Davis, and architect specializing in masonry vaulting also assisted for a few days of hands on experience working with stone.  A huge thank you to all the wallers who helped make the restoration of Opus 40 possible.  It would not have happened without the ward work and dedication of the crew!


The Entrance Ramp Wall

This wall was completed last week.  It was nice to see people visiting the Opus 40 using it all weekend. 

Preparing for the next phase

There was considerable concern that the tall wall facing the quarry wall near the bridge was in danger of collapsing before its restoration would get underway in phase 2.  This would not only make the restoration more difficult, it also posed a danger to visiters.  So the portion of the wall that was extensively bowing outward was braced with peastone to prevent it from collapsing.  This will also serve as staging when the wall is rebuilt in the next phase.  As the wall is dismantled the peastone will be cleared away so that the wall can be safely rebuilt.  Peastone (round washed gravel stone) is an ideal material for this as it can be easily shoveled and does not have fine particles that could wash into the wall.

The Amphitheater Wall

With the tall wall completed last week, the low wall that wraps in front of it was begun.  Compared to the tall wall this was a fairly straightforward build.  The trickiest part was making use of tapered stones to level off the sloping quarry floor we were building on.  The layout of this wall was made to mimic the dimensions that Harvey Fite originally built.  The finished wall brings a sense of finish and stability to a part of Opus 40 that has been roped off to visiters and appeared ready to collapse for many years.


The Training Wall

A major focus of the week was completed the training wall.  Michael Weitzner built a nice cheek end, and the whole crew poured in to quickly complete the wall and clean up the extra stone.  We are looking forward to the 1st workshop taught there in just a few months.  Contact Opus 40 for more info on joining the workshop!