We always keep our eyes peeled during historic renovations because you never know what you could find – like entire trees being used as columns, for instance!
While repairing Freeman Hall at Belmont University, originally constructed in the early 1900’s, our team discovered that the building supports were 140-year-old American Chestnut trees that had begun to rot and needed to be removed and replaced with modern steel columns… all without disrupting the historical integrity of the building.
Incredible care and planning were taken to surgically remove the six trees with a crane through the roof, and two were used to create an incredible conference table that is now located in the brand-new Jack C. Massey Center. This is a very unique find, as American Chestnut has been extinct since the mid 1900’s and can only be found when reclaimed.
Special thank you to Belmont University, David Minnigan, and Good Wood Nashville for helping us save and repair these historic trees so that they can continue to serve a purpose on Belmont University's campus!
To learn more, check out WSMV4's coverage of story HERE!
