Masonry Magazine May 2012 Page. 20
CASE STUDY
REHABS AND RESTORATIONS
By Jan Boyer Photos courtesy of Cast Stone Institute
Restoring Historic Structures with Cast Stone
As the magnificent historic buildings across America are aging, restoration will be required to maintain and save these structurally sound buildings, rather than demolish and rebuild. No matter what the natural stone or concrete-based material originally used on the building, cast stone can be a solid choice for the restoration efforts, due to its unique capabilities and potential for outstanding craftsmenship. The following case studies demonstrate the versatility of cast stone in restorations.
714 MAIN STREET - FARMERS & MECHANIC BUILDING - FT. WORTH, TEXAS
This project involved restoration of a historic 200,000-square-foot office tower, originally built in 1920 and located at a popular cross-roads in the downtown center. It involved replacing various veneer materials, both terracotta and GFRC, with cast stone on the first two stories. The building was ornamented originally with heads of Roman soldiers at the second floor level as palace guards. In previous renovations of the structure, the heads of the Roman soldiers were removed. The only remaining historical reference was old photographs.
In order to reproduce the Roman soldier heads in cast stone, original artwork was produced, and then a series of molds were made. The molds required significant detail that included the facial expression, and the final product was reviewed by historians for accuracy. The veneer pieces that formed the remaining parts of the exterior of the first two stories were challenging to produce as, in many cases, they had to form around the large heavyweight soldier heads. This visual challenge to achieve the look of the original terra cotta was met by adding black blasting material to the batch design.
The detail and the exacting design of the Roman soldier heads, in accordance with original pictures, was the primary goal of this project. Cast stone and casting techniques were critical in providing the detail necessary to restore this building to its original conception.
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS - PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
Showing that cast stone also is a viable choice for structural applications, this hardscape restoration project involved replication of a collegiate gothic courtyard entrance, originally erected in 1911. The extreme detailing and massiveness of the piece as well as replicating the original exposed aggregate in the cast stone elements made this an extremely interesting project.
The scope of the project included the complete replacement of the existing ornate cast stone structure, including the jambs, radius arch with rosettes, decorative panels, towers and coping. In order to accomplish the original intent, the cast stone arch was fabricated as a one-piece design and was structurally engineered to support the loads of the opening. This significantly reduced the installation cost and timeframe.