Shortly after lightning struck Hill House this past summer, Choate began an intensive restoration and recovery procedure. There were several issues that the School had to address not only because of the fire but also because of the excessive water damage that affected a majority of the building’s files, furniture, electronics, and other items.
The School ensured that its students, faculty, and other community members were safe, and then, Dean of Faculty Ms. Katie Levesque said, it “worked very quickly” to asses the damage and began the long recovery. Restoration firms were brought to campus the next day, according to Ms. Levesque.
The most affected areas were the faculty housing units, the college counseling offices, and the Dean of Faculty’s offices. Dr. Chris Hogue, a science teacher who lived in Hill House at the time of the fire, lost many of his belongings. “I lost all my furniture, all of my clothes that were not in drawers, half my shoes, belts, ties, all of the clothes you need to look presentable.” he said.
In order to save the damaged items, the School hired five fire repair firms. Each firm specializes in a specific type of restoration, including restoration of artwork, paper, furniture, kitchen supplies, electronics, etc. All five firms were on site the morning following the fire.
The companies first sorted through the damaged items to determine their salvageability. The objects that couldn’t be restored were thrown away. Those that had the potential to be restored were taken to their firms’ facilities. There, the firms will use a variety of techniques in hopes of salvaging them. “The firms that have been engaged are professionals in this field of remediation of property when a disaster occurs, not just a fire,” said Mr. Rick Saltz, Choate’s interim C.F.O.
The paper and artwork went through a particularly unique recovery process. After the damaged items arrived at the facility, the papers were frozen to lock in place the water they contained, preventing it from doing further damage. Soon, the company will perform a sublimation process to remove the water, and it will fire gamma rays at the papers in order to kill any bacteria they may harbor. “Choate really hired the best when it came to restoring anything that they wanted to restore,” said Dr. Hogue.
To Ms. Levesque, the process has been eye-opening. “It’s amazing how you learn during a crisis like this that there are people who do these things and have expertise in areas that I’ve never really had to think about,” she said. “You’re grateful in times like this.”
While his property is being restored, Dr. Hogue received donations of furniture, supplies, and small household items from other faculty members. “It was overwhelming at first but not surprising in a community like this. A number of colleagues said, ‘Hey, what do you need?’ I got couches from the Van Mierlos. I got a bed from Dr. [Heather] York.” (The School did provide financial assistance to Dr. Hogue to help replace what he lost.)
The expenses to cover the loss of materials and the restoration process were all covered by Choate’s insurance company, Chubb Insurance. “The expenses for this work is [sic] being handled by the insurance company for now,” said Mr. Saltz. “Once everything is done, we will reach a settlement with Chubb Insurance for the rebuilding of Hill House. No one knows this amount yet.”
The administration is hoping to have the recovered items back within the next few weeks. The School will then organize those objects in time for the reopening of Hill House, in the fall of 2021.
