For the love of history

By DaVinci Roofscapes. 

With these homes, we don't need a time machine to visit the past! 

Happy sestercentennial, America! 2026 is the 250th anniversary of the United States, and if you love history, this is a year to celebrate. More importantly, if you love giving historic homes and buildings a new lease on life, there’s an easy way to do so… with composite slate and shake roofing products.

Historical structures

Let’s start with 196-year-old Adelaide of Newton Centre in Newton, Massachusetts. The memory care community started with the renovation of an almost two-century-old historic building. Then, a new DaVinci Single-Width Slate roof in a Slate Gray color was added to replace the mansard roofing. 

Next there’s Rutherfurd Hall in Allamuchy Township, New Jersey. Designed by famed New York architect Whitney Warren (whose company designed Grand Central Terminal in New York City), the massive Tudor-style home was constructed in 1904 for the Rutherfurd family.

To safeguard the building's historical integrity and to better accommodate its future role in the community, the operators of Rutherfurd Hall brought in Michael Calafati Architect, LLC (MCA) in 2014 to create a Preservation Plan. One of the projects involved researching and recommending a new roof for the structure.

“Originally the house had a majestic slate roof," says Michael Calafati, AIA, LEED AP. "Around 1950, the home was sold by the Rutherfurd family to the Sisters of Charity to use as a residence and nursing home for nuns. The slate roof was removed during the first few decades of ownership by the nuns and replaced with an asphalt roof."

Michael went on, "When we took on this project, it was clear that the aging asphalt roof was living on borrowed time and needed immediate attention. We wanted to restore the grandeur of the original home, but we knew the weight of real slate would not work... After doing some research, we discovered the ideal solution in a Single-Width Slate composite roof from DaVinci Roofscapes. We found that the faux slate was the next best option to real slate and truly helps preserve the architectural integrity of the building."

On the home front

Nothing appeals to history lovers quite like older Arts and Crafts style bungalow homes. That’s one reason why Kim Stevens was passionate about restoring her 1914 home in Saratoga Springs, New York. She’d done a lot of research and was ready to propose a composite slate roof to her local Design Review Commission.

The finished historic home in Saratoga Springs has bended custom drip edges, a valley and a traditional half-round ridge cap all in copper. The rounded dormer in the front of the house consists of a flat-laid copper panel fabricated by Burgart’s team. After that, there is also a half-round copper gutter with a copper conductor and a rain chain.

“I simply love my roofer,” says Kim Stevens. “This was a multi-year project. He was terrific every step of the way and I can’t recommend him highly enough. The finished DaVinci Single-Width Slate roof in Castle Gray is beautiful. I think it’s as close as we could get to the quarry slate originally on the house. I did a great deal of research on this project and it all paid off. This house once again has proudly taken its spot as a historical landmark in our community.”

Just shy of 100 years old

When Christine and Gabriel Bridger renovated their 1930s English Cottage, they felt that the roof of this historic home in Evanston, Illinois was due for an upgrade. After weighing their options, they chose DaVinci Multi-Width Slate in Weathered Green for the project.  

“We have a corner lot,” says Christine, author of Company + Cottage website. “Many people recognize our home’s turret, gas light and red door. We wanted to add another level of charm by adding a beautiful slate roof that felt authentic to the English Cottage. The realistic detail of the DaVinci product, plus its lightweight nature, met our needs. It’s an affordable option to real slate and looks charming on the English Cottage. We get tons of compliments every day on our faux slate roof from neighbors and friends.”  

Built more than 90 years ago, the English Cottage exterior boasts brick, stucco and trim. The blend of colors and products adds realism to the home. So, it makes sense to have a spectacular blend of colors — Light and Dark Green, Green Stone, Dark Tan and Dark Stone — for this historic home roof update.  

“We wanted a color for the roof that felt connected to the aged brick and stucco,” says Christine. “Still, we need it to provide a unique stand-alone detail to this charming cottage. The deep tones of the Weathered Green blend to provide an understated punch of color to the house!”  

For more stories on homes re-roofed with modern day composite materials from DaVinci Roofscapes, visit the blog section of the DaVinci Roofscapes website.