Sacred Places Fall 2013 | Page 22

PROFESSIONAL ALLIANCE SPOTLIGHT (continued) deGruchy. “I try to be true to the trade, and so whether we’re doing a repair for Mrs. McGillicuddy and her beautiful Victorian home in town and repairing her chimney, or if it were the Taj Mahal, we focus on the object of what we’re accomplishing and being true to the trade.” LimeWorks.us hosts homeowner workshops that teach ways to restore and retain historic elements. deGruchy often returns to his beloved alma mater, Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades, in Media, PA, to share his professional experience with students. The firm is partners with Adventures in Preservation, a heritage tourism company based in Boulder, CO, where preservation-minded travelers spend the first half of their vacation relaxing, then work on a restoration project in the area. “It’s been my goal at LimeWorks.us to keep our prices as palatable as I can, because we want it to trickle down to the everyday homeowner,” said deGruchy. Through Adventures in Preservation, deGruchy was alerted to a community effort in Trappe, PA, to save the boyhood home of the first U.S. Speaker of the House from being razed to construct a Rite-Aid. Community Mortar is carefully applied to the spaces between bricks using a specialized tool. Photo: LimeWorks.us. 21 • Sacred Places • www.sacredplaces.org • Fall 2013 organizers rallied, creating a 501(c)(3) called Save the Speaker’s House, and successfully bought the land from the developer. House in hand but with no more to spend, the community turned to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, who called deGruchy, who in turn helped organize a volunteer effort to restore the front facade of the house. With LimeWorks.us’ help, the Frederick Muhlenberg House, as it’s now known, regularly hosts archaeological digs, preservation classes, and volunteer workshops to continue to restore elements of the building. deGruchy strives to commit his company annually to at least one nonprofit project that demonstrates great need but has limited funds and that might not otherwise find help. LimeWorks.us employs two laboratory specialists on its small team who create custom lime samples for each project. deGruchy consults with architectural conservators before recommending a course of action for a structure. After all is settled and LimeWorks. us’ job is finished, what’s left is more than a job well done. What’s left, deGruchy hopes, endures long after him, or the homeowners, or the project manager. He’s not leaving his legacy on old buildings, but helping to maintain theirs.