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N EWAGAIN Company restores historic buildings
Tidewater Preservation Inc., a Fredericksburg-based firm, is one of the top restorers of historic museum houses in the country.
Date published: 9/7/2006 By CATHY JETT By CATHY JETT Dr. and Mrs. Charles Maurer knew Federal Hill, the stately 18th-century house they were buying on Hanover Street, would need extensive renovation. So they began asking people to recommend a contractor who would both appreciate its history and restore the Fredericksburg house to its former glory. "Virtually anyone who had an historic home or was in historic preservation, one of the first things they said was, 'You need to hire Fred Ecker,'" said Dr. Maurer, a Fredericksburg physician. Luckily for them, Ecker's company, Tidewater Preservation Inc., is practically around the corner on Jackson Street. The small firm specializes in restoring some of the most beautiful historic houses in the country, including the White House, the Governor's Mansion in Richmond and all the museum houses in Fredericksburg. Last year, This Old House magazine named Ecker one of the top 10 contractors and builders in the country. Dubbing him "The Curator's Contractor," it said: "Fred Ecker will make your house look like a museum. At least he can if you want him to" The Maurers, who have three small children, don't want to go that far. But they are respectful of Federal Hill's long history--it was built right after the American Revolution by Virginia's third governor--and want to preserve it so the house eventually can be passed intact to its next owners. The couple hired Tidewater Preservation to work on plans with their architect soon after putting a contract on Federal Hill in 2004. But they had to wait until a court battle over previous owner Elizabeth Lanier's will was settled last year before the firm could actually begin work. Already, Tidewater Preservation has restored and primed the house's original tulip poplar siding, replaced the ancient heating system and waterproofed the handmade bricks in the basement to prevent dampness. The remaining work, which includes refinishing the wooden floors, is expected to be completed by next April. This is the type of work that Ecker's 17-member staff, which works on major projects up and down the East Coast, hopes to do more of here in Fredericksburg. The timing, he said, is right. "There's an influx of new people buying the larger, old houses downtown," said Ecker, who recently restored the roof on Doris Buffett's house on Caroline Street. "We're gearing up to service that group. I don't want to sell ourselves for museum work only."
Date published: 9/7/2006
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