Mansard Slate Roof, Davis Square

A historic Mansard-roofed Victorian in Davis Square needed full slate replacement on its steep lower slope. The original 1880s slate had reached end of life with widespread fastener corrosion. We matched it, re-clad the upper rim in copper, and cleared the work through the Somerville Historic Commission.

Project specs

Roof type

Mansard, steep lower slope

Slate

New Vermont natural

Coping

Copper-clad, hand-formed

Historic review

Somerville HC approved

Project length

8 weeks

How a historic Mansard gets done

Match the original

Sourced replacement slate matched to the original 1880s color and pattern.

Copper the rim

Hand-formed copper-clad coping at the upper roof rim where the Mansard meets the flat.

Clear the commission

Worked with the Somerville Historic Commission to keep every detail period-correct.