CHAPEL HILL — One of UNC Chapel Hill’s signature landmarks will undergo repairs beginning Thursday, March 7. According to a release from the school, the Old Well will undergo restoration and repair work to three of the structure’s eight columns. The project is expected to take two to three weeks to complete. Fencing will be installed around the area for safety and the Old Well will not be accessible during the work.
The project will include the restoration and repair of the bases of three columns. Scaffolding will be erected to reduce the pressure on the columns and to allow for the removal and replacement of the wood bases and moulding. The white pine used in the current structure will be replaced with more durable red mahogany which will then be treated with a preservative, oil primed and painted.
The original well was constructed in 1795 and served as a source of drinking and bathing water for University faculty, staff and students. In 1897 the wooden shelter covering the well was replaced with a neoclassical rotunda. The current Old Well dates to 1954 when the original structure was razed and replaced with a sturdier replica.
