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A Building History for the
Red Hill Estate of John A. Roebling, II (1929-1941)/
Archbold Biological
Station (founded 1941),
8 miles south of Lake Placid, Highlands County, Florida
Compiled by
Fred E. Lohrer, Archbold Biological Station, April 2005,
from Red Hill photos/correspondence in the Station’s historical
archives, and from memory, with corrections and additions by Bert G.
Crawford, Supervisor of Maintenance, and Robert E. Hippchen, Operations
Manager
 The
Roebling Red Hill Estate includes 6 concrete buildings
(storehouse, garages, generator house,
pump house, water treatment
plant, explosives storehouse) and one
steel
water storage tank. Some Red Hill buildings have slightly different
names during the Archbold Biological Station era. In the following
narrative, Archbold refers to Archbold Biological Station. Dates for Red
Hill Estate construction events derived from dates of photographs and
photograph numbers are indicated as RH###. Red Hill photographs by
Alexander Blair, Red Hill construction engineer. Contemporary digital
photographs, and digital-image
processing, by Mike Mazzeo. File names give photograph dates (YYYYMMDD). Photographs copyright by Archbold
Biological Station. For use-permission contact the
Library.
history
index | photo album index
  1.
Red Hill Estate-Storehouse (& attached Dwelling): Archbold Biological
Station-Main Building (& attached House).
[Site File Number HG00863]
Red Hill Storehouse Photo
Album |
Main Building Photo Album
b. Date of original construction. 1930-1931. 14 June 1930, photo
of plaza area "before warehouse started."-RH28. 19 August 1930, pouring
floor slabs-RH31. 20 April 1931, roof on but no tiles-RH189 & RH190.
c. Dates and description of major exterior alterations.
Roebling modifications. Construction completed and building occupied by
22 December 1931; east entry door added to Unit B (south end), between
21 August 1933 (RH480) and 7 November 1935 (RH584); east overhead door
of north-end unit replaced by entry door, between 7 November 1935
(RH587) and 1939. Roebling exterior bronze, single passage doors still
exist and in daily operation (2005) to; north classroom, laboratory, and
bathroom, Unit B (south end), and office, lounge, and west kitchen. All
original bronze Roebling windows still exist and operate. All original
Roebling gutters, soffits, and down spouts still exist and operate.
Archbold modifications-exterior. East porch roof over walkway and dining
room added concurrently during 1941. Typical passage doors added to east,
and probably west openings, screen and paneled doors, early 1940s,
replaced again by sliding glass doors when units became air-conditioned,
ca 1950s-1981, and then replaced again by aluminum storefront doors
(only on east side except west door of the Avian Ecology Lab). East
side. Opening for Unit B (south end) closed in by Archbold. The east
section of Unit B was open to the weather (half wall and screens), as
the "Cannery," until early 1980s, when windows and air-conditioning
added and space became the Education Office.
Archbold
modifications-interior. Attic floors added to base of overhead girders
for 5 storage units, ca. 1940s or 1950s. The attic over the library
converted to offices, 1997. Attics over 4 remaining labs to be converted
to offices during 2005. Attic over Unit B (south end), a former tool
storage unit, converted to dormitory space by Archbold during 1950s,
then renovated during 1970s, and again during late 1990s. Unit B (south
end) converted to photography dark room, chemistry lab, and bathrooms,
ca. 1950s, modified during late 1960s, and in 1983. The North Unit,
formerly the machine shop, first converted to a classroom in 1983, later
modified for 2 uses, classroom and laboratory, 2000-2001. Unit 5 (from
north) converted to Vertebrate Lab, 1967. Unit 3 (from north) converted
from carpenter shop to Plant Ecology Lab, 1983.
d. Original use (Roebling). Storehouse, 7 units; store furniture
& building materials, machine shop & tool storage, bathroom. Dwelling
unit at south end included, offices, kitchen, dining room, bedrooms,
bathrooms.
e. Current use (Archbold). Main Building, 7 units; research laboratories,
library, classroom, offices, chemistry lab, photography darkroom,
bathrooms, dormitories. House; reception, lounge, offices, kitchen,
dining room (added wing).
f. Proposed use. No change from present.
2.
Red Hill Estate-garages: Archbold Biological Station-garages, Rand
Building since 1996. [Site File Number HG00866]
b. Date of original construction. 1932. 11 August 1932, pouring
walls-RH389. 19 January 1933, roof tiles completed, steel doors in
place-RH438 & RH440.
c. Dates and description of major alterations.
Roebling modifications. 1934-1935. Units 10 & 11 added at north end
between 17 October 1934 (RH549) and 22 October 1935 (RH577).
Archbold modifications. Before October 1957, added garage units to the
east side of the building, using wood-frame, stucco-covered construction
(exterior colors/details compatible with Roebling style), with a
concrete floor at grade. No changes occurred to the east exterior of the
original Roebling facade. During late 1960s, 3 east units at the south
end closed in, with concrete floors, for animal observation rooms.
During 1995, 9 west units at the south end converted to offices and
renamed the Rand Building on 6 November 1996. Concrete was added to
bring the floors 15" above grade, and standard commercial aluminum
window-doors were added to west openings. The original Roebling steel
roll-down doors still function and all exterior fittings and
construction not changed. Interior offices; standard interior treatment;
dry wall, drop ceiling, carpet. Offices with dormers; dormers not
blocked off, exterior light still penetrates to office below.
d. Original use (Roebling). Garages for vehicles.
e. Current use (Archbold). Garages for vehicles until 1995 when south 9
units converted to offices.
f. Proposed use. No change from present.
 3. Red Hill Estate-generator house: Archbold
Biological Station-generator building. [Site File Number
HG00865]
b. Date of original construction. 1931?-1932. 22 December 1931, walls
completed, roof trusses in place, no windows-RH289. 29 February 1932,
roof on, no shingles; windows and door installed-RH313.
c. Dates and description of major alterations - Roebling modifications.
None.
c. Dates and description of major alterations - Archbold modifications. Roebling switch box replaced, ca. 1970s, upgrade 2005.
d. Original use (Roebling). Diesel generator and glass storage
batteries.
e. Current use (Archbold). Main campus electrical switchboard, back-up
diesel generator (115 kw); glass storage batteries sold ca. 1977.
f. Proposed use. No change from present.
 4. Red Hill Estate-pump house: Archbold
Biological Station-pump house. [Site File Number HG00867]
b. Date of original construction. 1933, May -August. 12 May 1933, not
even a foundation stake in place-RH463. 21 August 1933, building
completed-RH480.
c. Dates and description of major alterations - Roebling modifications.
None. Archbold modifications. None.
d. Original use (Roebling). House deep-well water pump and fire engine.
e. Current use (Archbold). House deep-well water pump and fire engine.
No other uses allowed for water pump area by State Department of
Environmental Protection regulations.
f. Proposed use. No change from present.
5. Red Hill Estate-water treatment plant: Archbold Biological
Station-water treatment plant.
b. Date of original construction. 1932-1933. 17 December 1932,
constructing forms for floor-RH409 & RH412. 19 January 1933, pouring
walls for coke tank-RH443. 21 August 1933, trusses in place, but no
roof-RH480. 21 November 1933, roof complete with tiles on-RH518.
c. Dates and description of major alterations.
Roebling modifications. None.
Archbold modifications. For the spray tower (aeration); original steel
trusses removed, original roof removed, and block wall added and
concrete roof deck poured to replace original roof. All this work done
pre-1972, possibly pre-1967. The roof girders had become corroded (pers
comm. Robert Nagel to Bert Crawford), probably due to a chemical
reaction with ground water (hydrogen sulfide?) as it was sprayed for
aeration in the tower.
d. Original use (Roebling). Water filtration and aeration.
e. Current use (Archbold). Water filtration and aeration. Chlorine
treatment of water supple began in mid-1980s. In 1990s, stairwell
screened in to prevent debris from accumulating in the water that
collects at the bottom of the stairwell during summer rains and to
prevent unauthorized access, as per Florida Department of Environmental
Protection regulations.
f. Proposed use. No change from present.
6. Red Hill Estate-explosives storehouse (in center of plaza island):
Archbold Biological Station-flammables storehouse.
b. Date of original construction. 1931-1933? Completed by 21 August
1933-RH480.
c. Dates and description of major alterations - Roebling modifications.
None.
c. Dates and description of major alterations - Archbold modifications. A
new wooden door added early 1970s.
d. Original use (Roebling). Storage of explosives and combustibles.
e. Current use (Archbold). Formerly for storage of chemicals; building
cleared of all chemicals about 2002, now empty except for reagent-grade
alcohol storage.
f. Proposed use. No change from present.
7. Red Hill Estate-70,000-gallon, steel water tank and tower: Archbold
Biological Station-70,000-gallon, steel water tank and tower.
b. Date of original construction. 1933, January - May. 19 January 1933,
water tower absent-RH438. 12 May 1933, water tower present-RH463. The
earliest photograph taken from the top of the steel water tower was 17
October 1934-RH549.
c. Dates and description of major alterations - Roebling modifications.
None.
c. Dates and description of major alterations - Archbold modifications.
None. Tank and tower exterior are painted regularly and the interior is
occasionally sand-blasted before painting.
d. Original use (Roebling). Water storage.
e. Current use (Archbold). Water storage.
f. Proposed use. No change from present.
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