Boone & Crockett Club Headquarters
Missoula, MontanaBuilt as the Missoula passenger station for the Milwaukee Road and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Milwaukee Railroad Depot at 250 Station Drive is now headquarters of the Boone and Crockett Club. Its clay tile roofs, towers, and built-in gutters had been worn down by decades of Rocky Mountain weather. As part of an exterior restoration and reroof designed by A&E Design, Renaissance was brought in to replace the depot's roofs and restore the copper and drainage systems that protect it. (Renaissance had previously worked with A&E Design on the Cascade County Courthouse copper roof restoration project in Great Falls, MT.)
Work Included
- Asbestos abatement of roofing tar and caulk at the towers
- Value engineering by recommending replacement of the originally specified roof system with Ludowici Spanish clay tile and a less expensive trim alternative to make the project more affordable and still retain the historic character of the roofing system
- Structural carpentry repairs to the roof deck (roof blocking and shear blocking) and roof framing by adding steel brackets between the roof rafters and sill plates to more securely attach the rafters to the structure outer wall
- Complete tear-off and installation of new Ludowici 18-3/8" Spanish clay tile in Clay Red, with standard #206 ridge and eave closures
- High-temperature self-adhered ice and water underlayment over the entire roof deck
- New 16 oz. copper flashings, including 264 lineal feet at the tower bases and upper tower roofs
- 20 oz. inlaid copper built-in gutters on the upper main building, with buss-bar hangers 18" on center, expansion joints, and copper outlet tubes
- Downspout repairs, plus larger aluminum gutters and downspouts on the baggage building
THE CHALLENGE
The depot is a National Register–listed landmark, so every material and detail had to respect its historic character and meet the requirements of the preservation architect. The building also stayed fully occupied throughout the project. The Club's staff and visitors needed open entrances, clear drives, and minimal disruption, and work was limited to weekday business hours.
The roofs themselves held surprises. Pre-construction testing found asbestos in the roofing tar and caulk at the towers, and years of water infiltration had damaged the decking and framing underneath. The original built-in gutters were failing. The new system also had to stand up to Missoula's climate: the sheet metal was designed for temperatures down to -40°F and winds of 105 mph.
THE RENAISSANCE SOLUTION
Renaissance began by safely abating the asbestos-containing materials at the towers, then tore the roofs down to the deck and made the structural carpentry repairs needed to give the new tile a sound base. The entire deck was then covered with a high-temperature, self-adhered underlayment rated for severe climates.
Working with the architect, Renaissance refined the tile package to use Ludowici's 18-3/8" Spanish profile in standard Clay Red, with standard #206 ridge tiles, eave closures, and top fixtures, and revised ventilation details.
Our craftsmen formed and installed new copper flashings throughout, adding copper at the tower bases and upper tower roofs where the existing metal had deteriorated.
A liquid coating was originally planned for the gutters. After evaluating them, Renaissance recommended removing the old liners entirely instead. The crew repaired the bottom gutter pans, built new wooden outer shell supports, and installed 20 oz. inlaid copper gutters hung on buss bars 18" on center, with expansion joints and copper outlet tubes into the existing downspouts. The baggage building received larger aluminum gutters and downspouts to handle its runoff.
THE RESULTS
The Boone and Crockett Club's historic home has new Ludowici clay tile backed by a 75-year material warranty, hand-formed copper flashings, and a rebuilt copper gutter system designed for decades of service. The landmark depot is protected for the next generation of the conservation organization that calls it home.
