Western red ce lndependence

f, s wonruEN pur the finishing touches on a l4-week la.restoration of Philadelphia's Independence Hall, western red cedar is leaving its mark at the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The $4.9-million project included replacing damaged brick masonry; painting window frames, doors, and all exposed wood decorative features; refurbishing copper urns; installing new clock faces, bracings, and lightning protection system; applying borate fungicide treatment to interior structural elements, and replacing wood shingles and flashings.

As much as possible, new materials were selected to match the old and products were sourced locally, such as using Horsham, Pa.-based Benjamin Obdyke's Cedar Breather ventilating roof underlayment-a product not yet invented at the time of the last renovation in the 1980s.

Roofing was provided by Bradco Supply, Malvern, Pa., and wood products by Capital Forest Products, Annapolis, Md. Pro-East, Essington, Pa., supplied the fastenersdomestically produced by Maze Nails, Peru,Il.

For the cedar roofing, however, Bradco and Capital had to call on British Columbia to find older-growth trees with sufficient density. "Western red cedar was chosen for its durability and beauty," explained Curtis Walker, of B.C.based Waldun Group. "The existing roof was cedar, and we had to match it with high quality cedar roofing. The old roof was still in great shape after 30 years, but because the extensive scaffolding was up, it made sense to re-roof."

He said, "Originally, the product for this U.S. landmark was to be ljoVo American made. There was an exception made to have Waldun product installed. This specification was changed because the consistency of the Waldun product is unmatched in the industry, and the product was cut from first growth."

Walker traveled to Philadelphia to ensure Waldun would provide an exact match. "When we first got to the project, I was literally lying on the platforms 15 stories up to examine the underside of the shakes to see if they had a split back face or a resawn back face," he recalled. "We measured exposures and even met with a government official, who was overseeing the particulars, to see the archive room and take samples from the old roof."

Waldun supplied 2,000 sq. ft. of custom-made cedar shakes for the project. Its mill split the 18- and 24-inch shakes, while an old-world craftsman from Washington State hand-split the 36-inch by 3/4-inch shakes. In total, cedar shakes were installed on four ofthe hall's nine levels.

Ganahl Lumber opened its 9th location Feb. 6 in Pasadena. Ca. (Barrett Burt, general mgr.).

Stewart's True Value

Hardware, Spokane, Wa., is closing after 100 years, according to Mike Czechowski, owner since 1 977.

True Value Hardware, walnut, is liquidating after 14 years, due to big box competition and the economy.

Alpine Lumber Co., westminster, Co., sold its shuttered location in Loveland, Co., to Luke Cos, for $865,000.

Alpine closed the 17,500-sq. ft. facility in September 2010.

Seaside Ace Hardware opened March 5 in Seaside, Or., according to Winfield Muffett, owner of the 7,725-sq. ft. store.

Boise Cascade Acquires Stimson's Arden Mill

Boise Cascade Wood Products, Boise, Id., has acquired Stimson Lumber's sawmill in Arden. Wa.. and added the facility to its Inland Region division.

"Given that the mill is geographically located near our Kettle Falls (Wa.) operation and is a welldesigned, highly efficient facility, it's a nice complement to our lumber business," said Tom Insko, manager of Boise's Inland Region. "In the longer term, the Arden mill offers us the flexibility to expand production as markets improve."

He said that Boise has hired the majority of the 52 employees that previously worked at the Arden mill, which will initially operate on a single shift.

Once the remainder of Stimson's cedar logs are processed, the mill will change over to pine production for Boise.

Based in Portland, Or., Stimson Lumber operates in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

Desert Lumberyard Closes

Tehachapi Lumber, Tehachapi, Ca., has closed after operating for more than 65 years.

Several years ago, the company had 35 full-time employees and was named the town's Business of the Year. At the end, Wanda and longtimer Vic Elms were running the business with help from a few part-time employees.

"We're not sure yet what we'll do in the long term," said Vandeventer. She and her husband-who took advantage of the housing slump to finish a business degree-bought the business in 2005. "There will be a new direction in our lives," she said.

Atlas Roofing Adding Polyiso Insulation Plant for Pacific Northwest

In an effort to provide polyiso insulation products to the Pacific Northwest, Atlas Roofing Corp., Atlanta, Ga., has opened a new manufacturing facility in Vancouver, B.C.

"Construction in western Canada is trending upward at the moment and the western U.S. continues steady expansion in commercial building," said Tom Rowe, vice president of commercial sales and marketing. "Both markets require energy-efficient building envelopes to meet increasing federal and local codes and standards."

Ace Hardware operators

Mike and Kim Johnson submitted plans to open a 13,300-sq. ft. store in St. Johns (Portland), Or.

Grigg's Ace Hardware opened its fourth store Feb. 20 in Kennewick, Wa. (C.J. Grigg, mgr.).

Ace Hardwiro, Sammamish, Wa., is hopeful it has reached a deal with its landlord for a one-year lease extension and that it has found a permanent new home to move into in 2013 (see Jan., p. 15).

Orchard Supply Hardware, San Jose, Ca., has inked a multi-year dealto make Benjamin Moore the exclusive supplier of interior and exterior oaints to its 87 stores. The roll-out should be complete by August.

Parr Lumber, Hillsboro, or., was named Materials Supplier of the Year by the Central Oregon Builders Association and Supplier of the Year by the Building Industry of Clark County.

"There wasn't a single cause, it was several different issues, but by far the biggest reason is the housing downturn," explained co-owner Wanda Vandeventer. "Most of our business came from contractors, and the housing market dropped off a cliff."

The new facility joins an existing one in Toronto, which will enable daily service to many distribution outlets throughout westem Canada.

Atlas also has plants in the U.S., in Phoenix, Az.; Northglenn, Co.; Diboll, Tx.; East Moline, Il.; La Grange, Ga., and Camp Hill, Pa.