Al’s Old House Repairs Restores Beauty, History with Next 100 Years in Mind
- published: 2024/05/28
- contact: NBDC Communications - Nebraska Business Development Center
- phone: 402.554.6256
- email: kjefferson@unomaha.edu
Red Cloud, Nebraska – This story is part of our "Where Are They Now?" series. Read the original piece.
Armando “Al” Leal and his company, Al’s Old House Repairs, continue to build a reputation for high quality, time-honored craftsmanship as they work on a growing number of restoration projects in the region of Nebraska that once was home to Willa Cather.
Leal, a third generation carpenter whose business is based in Red Cloud where he lives, says that after his company weathered the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, he had to make a decision. “The pandemic affected a lot of businesses, but because we work on old houses and businesses, we are pretty much isolated the whole time,” he says. “So we kept right on working.”
The problem he says, was obtaining the materials he needed to complete projects. “We recreate trim and moldings to precise specifications that mirror the original product,” he says. “Lumber was not an issue, but the cost was.
“After the pandemic, I reached a point in my career when I thought I was done,” he says. “I was wrong.”
After the pandemic, I reached a point in my career when I thought I was done...I was wrong.
A resident of Red Cloud since 2010, Leal’s roots reach back two generations to family carpenters in Madrid, Spain. In 1997, he was able to collaborate on the restoration of the Murphy Ranch House, a historic, 1846 stagecoach stop in Mathis, Texas. That project refined Leal’s carpentry skills and fueled his interest in research, history and replicating the “old ways” of early immigrants.
Leal initially reached out to Chuck Beck, Nebraska APEX Accelerator Consultant with the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) office in Kearney, when he needed help completing his System for Award Management (SAM) registration. The registration enabled Al’s Old House Repairs to take part in the Moon Block Project, one aspect of a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) revitalization effort for the City of Red Cloud.
During the work that followed, Leal and his business completed the restoration of two storefronts in the Moon Block, a large, 19th century building owned by the Willa Cather Foundation.
His craftsmanship and skills have led to many other projects for his company. In one, Al’s Old House Repairs and its crews restored the exterior and interior of the Clay County Courthouse in Clay Center. The structure was built during 1917-19 and was one of 10 designed by architect William F. Gernandt. It is described as an excellent example of the County Citadel type of county courthouse, and was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
“That was unique because there was a lot of terra cotta glaze on the exterior sandstone,” Leal says.
His company also restored the courtroom at the Franklin County Courthouse, built in 1925 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. “For that, we had to recreate a lot of the original plaster moldings by hand,” he says.
Leal has several projects underway, including one restoring storefronts in Lebanon, Kan., and a major project in Sutton, Neb.
Beck initially introduced Leal to the idea of working in Sutton. “A few years back, I sent Al some photos of downtown Sutton, commenting on the beautiful buildings that could use his services because they needed some TLC,” Beck says. “The community of Sutton ended up pursuing CDBG funding, and was preparing for its downtown revitalization project when a tornado hit last year causing significant damage.
“Fortunately, Al had already been making connections based on my conversations with him, and he is now an instrumental part of Sutton’s rebuilding efforts.”
Leal says work on restoring the first building in downtown Sutton, originally built in 1892, has been completed, with a half-dozen buildings still to be repaired. “It’s practically the whole north end of town, and it’s an honor to have been selected for the job,” he says.
He says the work in Sutton has expanded his view as a businessman. “I never wanted to take on a project of that scale, but now that we have the first building completed, and the community loves the results, I’m confident we can accomplish the task,” Leal says.
When I see these buildings after we’re done, I consider them mine. And when I go to sleep at night, I am confident my buildings will be there in another 100 years.
He says it fuels his passion for preservation, and reinforces his company’s motto: “Restoring History One Board at a Time.”
“These old houses and buildings tell a story of the people who lived there, and why they built them the way they did,” he says. “I recognize the melting pot of designs. I look at a building and I know the bones inside it.
“When I see these buildings after we’re done, I consider them mine,” he says, “and when I go to sleep at night, I am confident my buildings will be there in another 100 years.”