The Preservation Society of Newport County began a major restoration project on the main gates of The Breakers Tuesday.
The two main gates – weighing 5,600 pounds each – and the crown and two side gates are being removed by crane and will soon be replaced with temporary gates, according to a press release from The Preservation Society of Newport County. Until the temporary gates are in place, visitors to The Breakers will access the grounds through the entrance on the Shepard Avenue side of the property.
The restoration work, needed after years of corrosion caused by Newport’s salt air, rain, and winter ice, will be done by Stratford Steel in Connecticut. The Preservation Society of Newport County says that each piece will be sandblasted to bare metal, treated with zinc thermal spray coating, and finished with a marine-grade paint coating system applied with epoxy primer and black urethane top coatings. Heavily deteriorated components that are beyond repair will be duplicated and replaced.
The project is expected to cost $500,000 and should be completed in April.
