Beverly Powder House

The Beverly Powder House of 1809 was built in a rocky field on the outskirts of 19th century Beverly.  It was one of a number of Massachusetts powder houses built to safely house the powder and shot of the local militia.  Since the disbanding of the militia in 1838, the building has been unused, an artifact of the post-revolutionary period in New England. Adams & Smith was engaged by the City of Beverly to survey and assess the condition of the building. The initial phase, a historic structures report, documents the history of the building, its construction and present condition, and develops a plan for restoration, identifying the key preservation issues in the building and setting priorities.  As-built drawings and photographs recorded existing conditions.

Phase 2 developed a set of contract documents for the restoration project.  These include plan, elevation and sectional drawings, extensive details and technical specifications of the materials and procedures to be used.  The scope includes the recreation of part of the original interior wood lining, which was assembled with wood pegs to prevent sparks.    The restoration was completed in July 2020.