Beautiful Chestnut Hill Rooftops

Let’s say a big piece of slate slides off your roof and lands on your car. As those insurance commercials say, “Now what?”

Slate isn’t a common roofing material in newer homes, so you’ll need a specialist. Which one? How much will it cost? What are the options? Here’s where the Resource Center at the Chestnut Hill Historical Society comes in. The Resource Center can help owners of old homes find the right contractor or, if the owner is skilled enough to go it alone, find the right product supplier. And because the Historical Society’s archives are so expansive, the Resource Center can also find historical information about that home.

Tim Wood, the Resource Center manager, answers most questions over the phone or by e-mail, though in-person appointments can be made if the homeowner wants to see product lists or catalogs. He takes into consideration each owner’s situation and offers some suggestions about how to approach the project. For a do-it-yourselfer, that might mean pointing out an article or how-to guide. For someone looking to hire a contractor, he can suggest some area craftsmen who do the type of work required. He works at the Resource Center Wednesdays and Thursdays, and he usually responds to requests within a week.

Wood’s background in preservation of material culture and artifacts comes from academia (having studied history and American civilization) and from firsthand experience (having owned an old home in West Philadelphia). He lives in Mt. Airy and, when not working at the Resource Center, helps the University City Historical Society. With all that expertise, you can see why the Resource Center is a great place to get historical and practical information about your older home.

Chestnut Hill Historical Society Resource Center
Tim Wood, Manager
8708 Germantown Avenue
(215) 247-0417
resource@chhist.org
www.chhist.org