Out of the Ashes
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – When a fire destroyed the historic Olde Liberty Station restaurant in Bedford, Virginia in September of 2009, owner Harry Leist vowed to rebuild. Just five months later the popular restaurant reopened its doors — with a new roof overhead and a long line of waiting customers.
“This building is a landmark in our area, so we were committed to renovating and reopening as soon as possible,” says Harry Leist. “We took the opportunity to change aspects of the structure so it would more closely resemble the original passenger rail station constructed in 1905.”
One of the significant changes made was to install 59 squares of Bellaforté synthetic slate tiles on the roof of the 104-year-old building. The original rail station had heavy slate tiles on the roof. Sometime during the life of the rail station, those tiles had been replaced with contemporary shingles.
“The asphalt roofing shingles caught fire very quickly during the September blaze,” says Leist. “We turned to DaVinci’s slate roofing tiles because we wanted to make an investment in recreating the original slate roof while gaining the benefits of the fire-resistant synthetic product.
“The Bellaforté imitation slate roof looks so much nicer than the previous roof. From street level, everyone thinks it’s real slate. However, this is better than heavy real slate. It’s a cost-effective solution that is backed by a 50-year warranty. That means we won’t have to worry about reroofing this building again for many decades to come.”
Opened in 2001, the 160-seat Olde Liberty Station restaurant is part of Bedford’s Centertown, which is on the National Register of Historic Districts. While the fire unfortunately destroyed much of the structure, the stone walls remained. Thanks to the efforts of countless craftspeople, the restaurant was able to reopened with its historic stature intact in February 2010.
The Roof Overhead
Installed on Olde Liberty Station by Albermarle Contractors, the patented snap-fit, self-locating Bellaforté roofing tiles include an integrated rain gutter, leading edge tab and rain dam. The 12-inch slate Bellaforté roofing tiles have achieved some of the strictest testing ratings in the country, including the Miami Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) and Florida Building Code (FBC) qualifications.
“I’ve never worked with such a good roofing product before,” says Sergio Cisneros, co-owner of Albermarle Contractors in Richmond, Va. “The snap-fit aspect of the Bellaforté tiles made installation go so quickly we were completely amazed.
“I’m recommending this roofing tile to all my customers. Right now I’m working on reroofing a house with 22 squares of Bellaforté and I’m confident the homeowners will love the final product. The slate look is so authentic, but the weight and durability of the product are so much better than real slate.”
Bellaforté roofing tiles use twenty percent less material than traditional synthetic and natural slate shingles, saving resources and reducing the tile weight. A square of Bellaforté roofing tile weighs just 185 pounds, helping reduce both installation time and landfill load due to reduced construction waste.
DaVinci Roofscapes has manufactured award-winning synthetic slate and shake roofing since 1999. The polymer roofing tiles are virtually maintenance free and far more cost effective than the natural product. DaVinci leads the industry in tile thickness, the tile width variety and the greatest selection of subtle earth-toned colors. Company products have a 50-year warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. DaVinci proudly makes its products in America and is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council. For additional information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit our website.