Thanks to Eagle Scout candidate Gabriel Barone, the iconic doors of the Finger Lakes Boating Museum are undergoing restoration. The massive doors of the old Taylor Wine building are a well-known fixture on Pleasant Valley Road in Hammondsport but weather and time have taken a toll. Under the supervision of his Scout Master, Tom Mitchell, and with technical help from professional restoration expert, Jeff Ingersoll, Gabriel took the restoration on as his Eagle Scout project. When asked why he chose this particular project he said "I decided to do a project for the Boating Museum because it is fairly new and there is so much to do. I chose the doors because they are the face of the building. People use them as a backdrop for photographs on special occasions. Restoring them will benefit both the Museum and the community."
According to Scout Master Mitchell, only 1 out of about 204 Scouts advance to Eagle Scout. Once a Scout reaches the rank of Life, the rank below Eagle, to advance to Eagle he must plan and organize a project, then present it to an Eagle Board of several leaders. The purpose of the project is to demonstrate organizing and leadership skills.
Once the project was approved, Gabriel and fellow Scouts that he recruited had their work cut out for them. Jeff Ingersoll, who has generously donated his time and professional expertise said, "The doors were probably installed in the 1950's or early 60's. They are made of 2 3/4 inch oak, are very weathered and the bottoms have rotted."
Over the summer the doors were disassembled and planed down to remove weathering. Rotted wood was replaced with new pieces fabricated from oak wine barrels found on the premises. New moldings were installed, the doors rehung, stained and varnished. The wrought iron hinges and trim were cleaned and reapplied. Before this project the doors were eye catching. Restored, they are truly beautiful.
