For at least 5 decades, the beginning of summer saw Ithaca Monthly Meeting move its Meeting for Worship from Cornell’s Campus to our Hector Meetinghouse on Perry City Road in Jacksonville. For many years, our first day of summer worship at Hector was the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, no doubt to get away from campus during Cornell’s graduation!
As we begin this summer of 2025 with Meeting for Worship followed by a dish-to-pass meal at Hector on Sunday, May 25, it’s a nice time to reflect on Hector Meetinghouse and the role it has played in Ithaca Meeting. In addition to decades of meetings for worship, Hector Meetinghouse has been host to weddings, memorial meetings, Thanksgiving Day meetings, and other events Friends hold dear.
Last fall, the Hector Meetinghouse Committee investigated a soft spot in the floor at Hector Meetinghouse and determined there was significant deterioration caused by excessive moisture in the crawlspace. Earlier capital projects had used up Hector’s building repair fund, and Friends approved an additional $12,500 to address the newly discovered rot and moisture issues at the Hector Meetinghouse. Additional repairs to Hector are still needed.
As we’ve shared information about raising funds for our Meetinghouse Renewal Project, we’ve talked about the failing stucco at our Third Street Meetinghouse (which will be significantly more expensive than repairs to Hector). It’s easier to stand outside Third Street and see the damaged stucco; it’s harder to visualize what’s happening at Hector. Lynn Truame – stalwart member of Hector Meetinghouse committee – crawled under the building to take photos showing the damage. The following are her photos and description.
The main beam is cracked (the splice joint itself, as a type of connection, is not a problem, but the crack in the beam and lack of appropriate support of the beam, is a problem).
At some point the original floor joists rotted out badly enough that Meeting attached new pressure-treated joists to the originals (that’s called “sistering”) — the conditions that lead to the rot were not adequately addressed, though, so most of the original joists have now completed disappeared due to rot and insect damage (the little holes are from powder post beetles).
Even though the subfloor doesn’t look completely rotten, it is. I was able to easily push the screwdriver in completely through the subfloor – only the bottom of the finish floor stopped the penetration.
This last photo shows the rotten subfloor, but what’s not visible here is that the sill beam at the left of the photo is completely hollowed out. You can reach your hand up inside this corner from the outside of the building and you will encounter a large hole and lots of crumbling wood, as well as walnuts that squirrels have imported into the walls.
If you’d like to contribute to the Hector building repair fund, visit the donation page for our Meetinghouse Renewal Project.
