Pierce-Klingle Mansion, Cast Iron Porch Restoration

Richmond Iron reproduced castings for the National Park Service restoration of the Pierce-Klingle Mansion cast iron porch within the Rock Creek Park. The reproduction castings are superlative examples of historically accurate reproduction using traditional foundry pattern making techniques and the use of modern materials to address durability issues. Some of the cast iron elements like the cast iron stair tread brackets and the cast iron baluster pickets had suffered extensive damage to breakage. Since the Klingle mansion is used by the NPS for educational programs and is open to the public, the reproduction castings needed to be safe and durable. Richmond Iron cast the stair tread brackets and baluster pickets in ductile iron. Ductile iron sand castings are made in a traditionally similar way as gray iron castings, but they are much stronger and can be used as structural elements in a structure.