One of the international effects of the “shot heard ‘round the world” was the formation loyalist settlements along the southern side of the Saint Lawrence River in Eastern Canada. At the successful conclusion of the US war of independence many residents of the US colonies felt a loyalty to the British crown and therefore migrated into British Canada. Acton Vale was one of these settlements and it survives today as a small village of several thousand inhabitants. Those residents are quite proud of their beautiful library housed in what looks to be a Victorian mansion but was actually the Post Office when built in 1904.

Long overdue renovations called for safety enhancements that included fire escapes and access ramps, and the challenge was to do this very cost efficiently while also preserving the historic visual charm of the library. These two priorities led to the decision to install these features externally rather than enclosing them in a way that would have greatly increased costs and destroyed the original architectural appeal of the building.

Hot-dip galvanized steel fit this bill perfectly, the amazing long-life and near zero maintenance of HDG would ensure a very durable and low-cost solution and the natural esthetic of zinc and the slim profile of high strength steel greatly enhanced the esthetic effect. There is something about all natural zinc coatings on historic buildings that allows the eye to segregate these new coatings from the original structure and its pleasing proportions.

Other advantages of hot-dip galvanized steel manifested themselves during the rapid and easy erection, minimizing the high-cost site erection time while its light weight compared to concrete minimized any needed building structural modifications. Lastly, the galvanizer’s ability to offer exceptionally high quality “Architectural Grade” finishing assured the smoothest and most uniform coating possible, further enhancing the pleasing end product.