A $2 million renovation and restoration project at Kearns-St. Ann School, 430 E. 2100 South, will be carried out in five phases within five years, according to the architect for the project.
James B. Glascock, a 1966 graduate of St. Ann's, said workmen hope to restore the exterior as closely as possible to the original construction of the building, for which the cornerstone was laid in 1899."The building's exterior will look about the same as it does now. However, there will be marked differences in the roof as well as the exterior finish on the brick and metal work. Dormer windows (on the roof) and the (26-foot-high) tower and metal work will be repaired. The existing asphalt-shingle roof will be restored to the original metal tile roof." It will have the appearance of Spanish tile when the building is completed, Glascock said.
Another exterior change will be the addition of fire stairs on the east and west wings.
The building, which has a wood-framed roof and floors and which is supported by thick brick walls and a sandstone foundation, will be retrofitted to seismic safety standards. The building's interior will be renovated to meet educational needs, with increased lighting, more fire extinguishers, exits, bathrooms and classrooms and other learning spaces, Glascock said.
"One of the difficulties of the project is that we have had no original drawings of the building from which to work. We had to create all the drawings of the existing building," Glascock said.
James S. Bailey of E.W. Allen & Associates is the consulting structural engineer. Menlove Construction Co., Murray, was contractor for demolition work on the third floor of the school.