Present: Bart Bauer, Michael DeLacey, Taya Dixon, Leslie Donovan, Lee Eiseman, Marilyn Fenollosa, Jack Glassman, David Hart, Randi Holland, Stephen Jerome, Wendall Kalsow, David Kelman, Julie Klump, Shirley Kressel, Stephen Landrigan, Doug Manley, Keith Moscow, Richard Muckle, Ivan Myjer, Stephanie Reinert, Paul Restuccia, Deborah Robinson, Brian Roche, Susan Schur, Malcolm Smiley, Eric Ward, Sara Wermiel 1. Josef Plecnik Slide Lecture: On April 3, Slovenian architect/educator/author/urban designer Peter Bassin gave a talk at the BSA on the work of his countryman, architect Josef Plecnik. Sara Wermiel attended and mentioned some highlights. The influence of the Secessionist style is apparent in Plecnik's early work, but his later work is idiosyncratic. Although he served as preservation architect for the Hradcani castle in Prague, and later was effectively the city planner for Ljubljana, Plecnik's projects (as illustrated by Mr. Bassin) were aimed at beautifying rather than solving practical problems. In Ljubljana, he designed bridges, a colonnaded market, parks, monuments, and numerous other buildings and structures. Plecnik's mature style tended toward the classical; nevertheless, he worked around the existing fabric, whatever its style. Then at the end of his life, he departed from this respectful policy and proposed demolishing Ljubljana's historic castle to make a site for a new state building (fortunately he did not get his way). Eric Ward noted that Plecnik's interventions at Prague castle - e.g., courtyards, entries, stairways - were all very distinctive. 2. 20th Century Metals Conference: Susan Schur reported that the conference went well and covered a lot. A key message she took away from the various speakers was the need for maintenance and regular up-keep of buildings. "No maintenance needed" for metal is false advertising. Jack Glassman felt the conference had the right amount of technical information. Prof. Ronald M. Latanision of MIT, who spoke about the mechanisms of corrosion, was a hit: he gave a technical but understandable and engaging talk on how different metals perform. Jack Glassman liked the history of the Kresge Auditorium dome: how construction details differ from what was actually built. 3. Specifying for wood window restoration, Richard Muckle, Muckle & Associates, Inc.: Richard Muckle, a general contractor specializing in restoration, gave us his suggestions for how to write specifications so clients gets the best results for their money. Work can be performed at three levels: maintenance, which involves minor repairs and is usually done by painters; restoration, which was his focus; and preservation, where important aspects of the window must be retained, such as paint, glass, and even historic repairs. Restoration is undertaken when windows are performing poorly for a variety of reasons that must be corrected. He addressed how to specify for the usual kinds of work that are done to correct various problems. Words like "remove loose and flaking only" in a RFP will not allow the contractor to restore the windows. Removing excess paint is necessary in order to see what repairs are needed. He warns against dip-stripping sash, which can damage wood. Some strippers break down glazing compound. He recommends taking windows out and stripping them at a bench. Glass should be removed at this time; leaving glass in place while stripping is not as good, but less costly. Sash repairs and wood conservation involve re-squaring and repining sash corners, replacing missing parts, and repairing joinery, then re-bedding, re-glazing with original glass, painting, and reinstalling. To fill large voids, he warns against specifying a "slather" epoxy repair. The trouble with using epoxy to fill big holes is that it is stiff while wood is flexible, so he expects epoxy fill repairs to fail over time, for example, from water getting under the epoxy. Richard recommends that specifications call for Dutchmen to fill voids, with epoxy used only as adhesive; epoxy can be used to fill in checks and cracks. This sort of repair holds up, but it must be done by preservation carpenters, not common carpenters or laborers. Concerning energy efficient glass, Richard says that in order to be stable after modification to receive thick, insulated glass, sash must be at least 1 ¾" thick. Also, to maintain the profile of a muntin bar, the width must be at least 7/8" thick. Windows with insulated glass weigh more so counterweights must be adjusted. For weather stripping, he prefers series 6 type bronze kerfed-in weather stripping or bronze spring. He thinks storm windows are excellent, although they are not allowed in some historic buildings. If allowed, he considers them superior to insulated glass. He recommends Harvey's "true channel" for storm windows; these can be made in very large sizes. Interior storms are not as energy efficient as exterior. For energy efficiency, upper sash can be fixed in place with blocking, although if this is done, the counterweights should remain in place to preserve the functioning of the lower sash (and hold the window up). For painting, finish coats should lap onto the glass about 1/16" to create a seal between the glass and the glazing compound. Richard regards the vexed question of oil vs. latex paint as a "religious issue." Oil paints today don't hold up as well as old mixtures and need to be renewed; latex can look fresh but conceal deteriorated wood. Regarding woods: for parting beads, Richard notes that today's Southern yellow pine is NOT like the original and doesn't keep its shape, so Eastern white pine is okay to use and mahogany has the longest life. Specifications must reflect owners' budgets. If money is limited, then window maintenance should be specified. Restoration, with regular maintenance, should last for 80-100 years. Bid specifications should note the exact work, at which locations, to be performed, so a window survey and chart should be included. He concluded with this advice: the RFP or bid proposal should request unit prices for each level of repair required, with each unit price having a fixed quantity allowance that is part of the base bid and relates back to a contingency amount (allowing 25% contingency, as a worst-case condition). David Hart asked about the cost of replacement compared with repair, and Richard estimated restoration costs about 20-25% less than replacement. Ivan Myjer asked about epoxy, and Richard said he prefers the West system epoxy, which has a pump, so it is easier to measure components accurately. Richard recommends fixing old Eastern white pine with modern Eastern white pine. If the modern wood has been sitting around long enough, it will be properly acclimated. Southern yellow pine today is grown for the pressure-treated market. On the matter of insulating balance pockets, Richard says he has found no way to do this - which is another reason why insulated glass is not cost effective. Some modern glass is being made with distortion to imitate old glass; antique glass is very expensive. 4. Gaiety Theatre: Steve Jerome and some members of the Gaiety Theatre Friends group attended the meeting in a second effort to win the support of HRC members for landmarking this 1908 Washington St. theater, designed by Clarence Blackall. Steve criticized Henry Moss for writing a letter on behalf of the HRC, in which Henry argued that the building did not meet the criteria for being considered a city landmark. The Friends wrote a lengthy report rebutting the BLC's recent report that supported keeping the theater at the current grade. However, Steve did not give us a summary of his report, so we learned little new about the theater. Stephen Landrigan, a playwright, said that the building should not be judged for its decoration, but for how it functions as theatre space. Leslie Donovan noted that this may not be the criterion on which a determination for grading or landmarking the building would be made. David Hart observed that we had heard some new information from Steve Jerome and others (such as Leslie Donovan) concerning the facts of the matter, and we could decide individually whether or not to weigh in on the subject with the BLC. [In the following week, the BLC Commissioners did not move that the Gaiety Theater be designated a Boston Landmark and therefore did not vote.] 5. Announcements: David Hart announced that Thompson (Tom) S. Lingel, MA, Architectural Historian and Historic Preservation Specialist, aged 50, died March 17, 2003. The cause was a massive heart attack. He will be sorely missed by his many colleagues, his family and friends. BSA Preservation Award: Eric Ward, for the HRC awards committee, is collecting ideas for this year's BSA Preservation Award. Remember that the focus of this award is slightly different than others that are based solely on the design quality or architectural significance of a project. Our award is made to organizations or property owners who are outside of the professional architectural community for notable preservation work. The award is intended as encouragement and recognition for unusual commitment to historic preservation and was originally conceived to honor building owners. Please send any suggestions along to Eric Ward (www.eward@eypae.com).
Janet Marie Smith, "Recent Work at Fenway Park" May 8, 2003, Thursday, 8: 00 a.m. The Architects' Building, 52 Broad Street, 5th floor, Boston
Henry Moss AIA, Matthew Bronski, and Sara Wermiel, co-leaders and scribes
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