Historical restoration work is always a company favorite project for the Pickard Roofing team. As Jim Pickard says, “The buildings or homes always have a story to tell.” The recent renovation the Pickard Roofing team participated in at The Orpheum Theatre, in Oxford, NC has just such a story.
The word Orpheum is derived from the Greek mythological poet and musician Orpheus, and has taken on the meaning of an enchanting or mysterious place, or a place of melodious music. First built in 1912 for movies and later rebuilt in the 40’s after a fire, the Orpheum Theatre hosted live stage shows from the region’s top western performers through the 60’s. New owners came to the property in 2018 and brought with them a vision to maintain and restore the historical interior and exterior Art Deco style. The Orpheum at Oxford reopened this year as an event and wedding venue.
Pickard Roofing, with its long and storied history of historical restoration in North Carolina was a natural selection for the roofing and gutter systems work needed on the Orpheum project.
White TPO roof, skylights, and terra cotta wall caps by Pickard Roofing.
Now that the project is complete, and the Orpheum Theatre has reopened, Pickard Roofing took the opportunity to visit the completed project. The retro ambience was felt immediately, and the Pickard team was amazed at the attention to detail in the restoration. The architect and builder went to great lengths to maintain the Art Deco architectural style – with its distinguished features of geometric forms and symmetrical compositions that create a sleek and anti-traditional elegance.
Charles Woods Builder was the construction firm managing the project. Pickard Roofing has had the pleasure to work with their team on several historical projects so we were not surprised by the attention to detail and craftsmanship used on the project.
We spoke with Charles Woods about his thoughts on the historical restoration: “A key personal highlight was following the architect, Reid Highley, and the fantastic design. If it wasn’t his attention to details it couldn’t have been pulled off successfully like it was.”
When asked what makes historical renovation different from new construction projects, Mr. Woods replied, “With historical renovations you have to follow the guidelines set out by the government, state or federal, on what can and can’t be removed. Then there’s the challenge of finding rot and determining what can, needs to, and HAS TO be removed and replaced. Very often you find yourself in a fish bowl on display.” Mr. Woods then added a perfect analogy, “when putting it back together I often use the term “we’re putting the ship back in the bottle.”
Although the flat roof the Pickard Roofing team installed is not visible from the ground, Jim Pickard says “Our roof is the shelter or protection for all the materials and craftsmanship that went into the restoration process. We take that responsibility seriously. It is an honor to be part of the restoration team and the Orpheum story.”
For more information on this historical restoration:
The Orpheum at Oxford - theorpheumatoxford.com
Charles Woods Builder – charleswoodsbuilder.com
CH Architects – candharch.com
Pickard Roofing Co., Inc. – pickardroofing.com
At Pickard Roofing, we think Design. Craft. Renew. We are experienced in all types of roofing systems- and provide the right roofing design and selective craftsmanship for renewing our customer’s assets. We invite sustainable building customers to give us a call for your free evaluation. For over 90 years Pickard Roofing Company has installed countless metal, tile, slate, TPO, EPDM, and all types of shingle roofing in the Triangle. Our services include residential, commercial, custom architectural metal fabrication, and historical renovation.
