When Hammond Castle Museum was built by the inventor John Hays Hammond Jr. in the 1920s, it was an architectural marvel: a castle with a striking blend of historical European styles, incorporating salvaged stonework and ornate details. Located high up on the ocean’s cliffs in Magnolia, it’s one of Cape Ann’s most distinctive structures.
Nearly 100 years later, the old dame began an extensive, multi-year renovation of the exterior masonry skin of the entire museum. The castle’s exposure to salt air, wind, and severe New England winters had taken their toll, said Linda Harvey, Hammond Castle Museum’s executive director.
One of the first major elements to be addressed was the restoration of the castle’s iconic granite and marble arches, which frame the museum’s drawbridge entrance and offer breathtaking ocean views. It’s an iconic spot, a favorite backdrop for wedding photos and museum events.
“They’re a defining feature of the castle, acting as an architectural signature of Hammond’s vision,” he said. “But they were bowing inward under their own weight. When we realized this, we knew we had to act fast.”
The challenge was amplified by Hammond’s eclectic approach to construction. Back in 1924, Hammond journeyed to Italy where he sourced materials from all over Europe, sometimes repurposing centuries-old artifacts, or modern replicas, and often assembling the artifacts in new ways.
This was especially problematic when it came to the arches, where a large, 13th Century Roman marble relief of a bull had been inlaid at Hammond’s direction along the top span of the arches. It gave the structure a top-heavy stressor.
Time, as they say, would not be the arch’s friend.
Enter Roger Tremblay, a Salem-based, third-generation mason who specializes in historic restorations. Tremblay and his team at A&R Construction began by carefully dismantling the arches, cataloging every stone to ensure precision when reassembling them.
During this process, they discovered that the original iron metal reinforcements had corroded, triggering a “blowout” of rust from inside the columns. This made the restoration particularly complex, as each arch had to be analyzed to determine its composition, strength, and historical authenticity.
To address this, the team replaced the original reinforcements with stainless steel rod skeletal supports and installed lead flashing to prevent future water damage.
“We had to strike a balance between reinforcing the structure and preserving the original aesthetic,” Tremblay said. “Anything new had to blend seamlessly with the old.”
For the recast capitals—key structural elements that distribute the weight of the arches—Tremblay’s team used a high-performance concrete mix, ensuring long-term durability. They also applied a specialized protective coating to the masonry to help shield it from Cape Ann’s harsh coastal conditions.
The restoration also uncovered more details about Hammond’s unconventional building methods. “He was deeply involved in every aspect of construction,” McMurphy explained. In fact, at one point Hammond had sent as many as 86 telegrams (which at the time would be exceedingly expensive) from Europe with last-minute design changes.
“His vision was a curated pastiche, blending elements from different eras,” said McMurphy. “That makes restoration particularly tricky—there isn’t always a single ‘original state’ to return to.”
These efforts are now considered ongoing. To facilitate future restorations, Tremblay recommended that the museum invest in a specialized swinging staging system that is now permanently housed atop one of the castle’s four stone towers and can be deployed as needed to access the building’s exterior for ongoing renovations.
“It’s never really ‘done,’” McMurphy noted. “Preservation is perpetual—it requires constant care and attention. That’s both the challenge and the beauty of maintaining a place like this.”
Fortunately for the museum’s iconic arches, the restoration is “done,” completed by blending advanced techniques with historic materials. And that, it seems, is exactly how John Hays Hammond, Jr. would have done it.
