Mattie Beal Home under roof repairs

The Historic Mattie Beal Home is getting much needed roof repairs after two years.

The roof began showing serious signs of leaking five years ago, causing damages to the ceilings and walls of the home, according to an info sheet from Yuri Schendel of the Lawton Heritage Association. Tiles were removed, but upon inspection, the felt underlayment was in a state of deterioration, allowing rain to penetrate into the attic and interior of the home.

Short term repair at the time was made with newer underlayment and put down in suspected areas, with some tiles replaced. However, it was evident that the entire roof needed to be replaced in the near future to prevent more leaking and damages.

A grant was received from the McMahon Foundation for $140,000 in 2023 for roof replacement, the sheet said. Since then, the Home has been waiting for the tiles to come that matched the historic tiles used by Mattie Beal in 1907-1909.

Then came the June 2023 hail storm, which made the damages even worse.

The damages before the storm would’ve been about 25 percent bad, but after the storm, it made it about 75 percent bad, Schendel said.

Earlier this month, they finally received the tiles, the sheet said. The project, begun this week, is estimated to last approximately two weeks. All the tiles will be removed and damaged wood decking replaced. High Temp Ice and Water Shield underlayment will be put over the wood decking and a new roof system will be installed. The original undamaged tiles will be reused on the west side of the Home.

Costs for repairs are estimated to be $165,000, Schendel said. They’ve been holding fundraisers and taking donations for the funds, with the help of the McMahon Foundation.

During repairs, the Home will be closed to all tours and activities for a few weeks.

After the roof is fixed, they will work on fixing the damages done by the elements, Schendel said.