Restoring the Bellamy House Windows

Imagine maintaining a home with 112 windows! The majority of those at the Bellamy site are double-hung windows with separate upper and lower sashes raised and lowered by heavy weights inside the window casings on each side. And, they were installed 165 years ago! Over time, wear and tear has caused the sash cords on some of the windows to snap.  

The job of fixing the windows is no easy task. Last year, six windows were targeted for restoration. In the photos shown here, Bellamy Museum volunteer handymen Angelo Cimini and Steve Long carefully removed the exterior window trim in order to take out the original windows. Once the windows were removed, they opened the access panel deliberately built into the window frame that houses the window weights. This system allows the windows to open smoothly and easily by counterbalancing the weight of the sash via a rope over a pulley. When the window goes up, the weight goes down.

The weights for these particular windows were made of cast iron, measuring approximately two feet in length and weighing between 15 and 20 pounds each.

Window Weight System
In the Bellamy house windows, there is space for two weights on each side of the window. One weight was used to lift the lower sash, and the other allowed the upper sash to be lowered. While none of the windows currently allow the top sash to move, evidence shows that when the windows were new, both sashes were operable.

​New sash cord (rope) was carefully measured and attached to each weight. The rope was then routed through the pulley located in the upper portion of the window frame and secured to the window sash itself. This was done by tying a knot and nailing the rope into a designated slot on the side of the window.

Reinstallation and Finishing
After the new ropes were installed, the windows were placed back into their frames. The exterior trim was then reinstalled, caulked, and painted to complete the restoration and ensure weather protection.

Challenges in the Library Windows
The most difficult windows to repair were those located in the library. It was evident that these windows had been rebuilt following the 1972 fire in the house, as the original access panels for the window weights were not recreated at that time. Angelo and Steve had to cut new access panels and, fortunately, the original weights were still present in their cavities.

After replacing the ropes, another issue became apparent: the windows had been reframed without restoring the original weight pockets. As a result, these windows are only able to open partially. Despite these challenges, and that of care for the delicate single pane glass, the restoration work preserved as much of the original window system as possible while improving functionality and extending the life of these historic features.

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Since the 1970s the National Park Service has published its Preservation Briefs. These form a how-to library for fixing the many and varied elements of America's historic buildings. The schematic above is taken from the brief on wood windows, which you can read through this link:
https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/upload/preservation-brief-09-wood-windows.pdf