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Present: Present: Eric Breitkreutz, Matthew Bronski, Jean Caroon, Taya Dixon, Marilyn Fenollosa, Gus Fraser, Allan Galper, Jack Glassman, John Hecker, Lyn Hovey, Noe Isaacson, Steve Jerome, Wendall Kalsow, David Kelman, David King, Ellen Lipsey, Michael Lynch, Doug Manley, Henry Moss, Bill Remsen, Brian Roche, Susan Schur, Jim Shields, Malcolm Smiley, Jonathan Smith, Jay Stanbury, Jean Van Orman, Joe Walker, Eric Ward, and Sara Wermiel 1. Modern House Tear-downs, Heck House, Lincoln: We followed-up on our recent discussion of the plight of the Heck House in Lincoln (1948). The house was designed by Henry Hoover, an important figure in mid-century Modern Movement design in New England (and, according to Michael Lynch, Hoover also served as Lincoln's building inspector when Gropius built his own house in that town!). Heck House is (was) visible from the road in a local historic district that includes houses of many disparate periods and styles. Henry Moss described the house as an unusual and somewhat bizarre (a conversion of a Victorian to a Modern house, whose pinkish color seems a unwelcome curiosity to some passersby and townspeople). Henry wrote a letter on behalf of the HRC protesting demolition, but it seems this house is a goner. Henry Moss raised the broader issue of the vulnerability of Modern Movement houses to demolition. Many suburban Modern houses are set back on their lots, not visible from the road; they are small, have single-glazed windows, and lack integral garages. This lack of contemporary size and amenities make them vulnerable to being demolished and replaced. The lost battle to save the Heck House may be a harbinger of similar debates to come. 2. Issues Raised by Members' Recent Work: For our discussion, Matthew Bronski collected and assembled the digital images contributed by HRC members that illustrate design, technical or philosophical issues raised by their recent work: · Don't believe all that you read: Matthew kicked off the discussion with the example of the Hamden County Courthouse in Springfield (1871, H. H. Richardson) allegedly built of "Monson granite". He noted that the architectural histories on Richardson (van Rensselaer, Hitchcock, etc.), and even a plaque on the building, state that it's built of Monson granite. But even by cursory visual examination from several feet away, the pronounced metamorphic banding in the stone that clearly indicated that, not only is the stone not granite, it was not even an igneous stone! Microscopic examination of the stone by SGH's petrographer confirmed Matthew's visual identification of the stone as gneiss, a metamorphic stone common in Central Massachusetts. To clarify the difference, Matthew passed around two stone samples, one of a true granite, one of gneiss from the building. Matthew stressed that overwhelming tangible physical evidence overrides the archival research in cases where the two conflict - the building is always its own best evidence. · Beware of damage to woodwork from lead abatement with alkaline strippers: With Zac Sargent away in DC, Matthew presented Zac's contribution, which concerned Muckle & Assoc.'s wood restoration work in the old Patent Office (now home of the National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum). A lead abatement company (not Muckle) was hired to remove the lead paint from the wood - although the specifications called for non-alkaline stripper and plastic tools to be used, the contractor ignored the spec. The strongly alkaline stripper and metal tools damaged the grain and surface of the wood so much that it's furry. In Muckle's experience, the solvent-based chemical stripper and plastic tool procedure that was spec'd would not have raised the grain like this. Henry noted that it's hard to supervise lead-based paint removal contracting - while the architect can request mock-ups of work, the mock-up is usually done by the most skilled craftsperson, while the bulk of the work is not. · You don't always get what you specify: Michael Lynch described a National Park Service project at the Boston Navy Yard (Charlestown), which concerned fading slate. A new slate roof was put on a building in fall of 2004; the specification called for S1 slate, non-fading black. The Contractor and supplier provided a test report stating that the slate met grade S1, and the slate submittal was approved. The new black slate, quarried in China, were installed over the entire roof. After just a few months, the roof tiles were a mix of colors - some still black, some faded entirely to gray/brown, some a striped combination of the two. Michael notes that there is no ASTM standard for degree of fading of slate. To avoid similar surprises, Michael advocates that slates be tested - and not any slate, but the slate delivered to the site to be installed. The standard ASTM battery of tests for modulus of rupture, absorption, and weathering, runs about $1,500-2000 per batch of slate. Petrographic analysis of the slate (which would disclose color change) runs about $3,000. For a large job, the cost of these tests would be small relative to the total cost of roof replacement cost, but Matthew warned that the tests should be done for all batches of slate delivered to the site, and not just the first batch delivered. Wendall Kalsow noted that even using a known product from an established company does not guarantee uniform color; his example was weathering green slate on a roof that weathered unevenly -after all, these are natural materials. Jonathan Smith has had this experience with "Spanish black" slates. Henry noted that architects too often take manufacturers' claims at face value, but probably should be more skeptical; this may mean specifying and buying more testing than they have in the past. Jean Carroon suggested that the Navy Yard building roof reflects a common problem with many NPS projects, which take so long to realize. The budgets for the projects are set years before the projects begin, and budgets are often inadequate by the time work commences. By the time the work is done, budget funds are often minimal or non-existent for the designer to oversee and monitor the work through construction, providing quality control - the Park Service often ends up taking on this job themselves, without the detailed, intimate knowledge of the project specifics gained through designing it.. · Who did the structural engineering in the nineteenth century, architects or engineers?: Sara Wermiel presented the topic of her current book project, a study of the work of architect-engineers in the nineteenth century. Because structural design in buildings was simply considered part of an architect's work at the time, architects in fact did their own engineering, at least until the 1890s. She showed a drawing of a lighthouse by Alexander Parris, a representative architect-engineer from the first half of the 19th century, and discussed Robert Hatfield, a representative of the "dark ages," of the 1860s-1880s, who was a construction specialist and prominent in his day, although unknown now. · Adze and ACQ - Instantly old?: Jack Glassman presented the difficult and sensitive topic of replacement of a structure in an iconic historic setting. Does one insert a clearly modern structure into the setting, that would never be confused with original historic fabric,, and thus would be "honest"? Or would a glass and steel or concrete structure be too visually disruptive in an iconic 18th century setting, and thus, should the structure blend with its surroundings, to avoid detracting from the overall experience? At what point does a structure that blends with its historic surroundings risk becoming a deceptive imitator that fools visitors? Is a plaque or date enough to distinguish it? The structure in question is the "Old" North Bridge in Concord (it's only "old" in name - it dates from 1956!). The current bridge is the replacement of a previous replacement -in fact, both the appearance and exact location of the original bridge are unknown. Because it was deteriorated and splintered, the railings on the 1956 bridge were recently replaced. With the Park Service's desire for durable materials in outdoor exposure, the new rail used ACQ pressure-treated lumber. In an odd juxtaposition of philosophies, it was decided that the new ACQ should be worked with an adze to give it a hand-hewn appearance (albeit, adze work was long gone by 1956 when the bridge was built). Further, the ACQ was treated with stain to make the green pressure treated wood rail look less conspicuous next to the weathered gray/brown wood of the remainder of the bridge. However, a stain that made the adze ACQ wood railing look too instantly old and weathered was deemed too deceptive, thus, a more uniform gray-colored stain was desired. Ay Caramba! To make matters even worse, the Contractor had proceeded to stain the entire railing before gaining final approval of the stain color - thus, the Contractor was made to laboriously remove all the stain, and then was made to apply a different gray stain that gave a more uniform gray color and created less of a "false weathered" appearance. Lessons learned from this: have the contractor provide a test panel for approval before he stains/paints the entire project. And agree on clear overall philosophical objectives for the project with the client before making a series of individual decisions on finish, color, materials, geometry, etc., even on something as small as a railing. · Rooftop additions on historic buildings: Eric Breitkreutz brought an example of a rooftop addition, continuing the committee's discussion of this topic. Historic Boston, Inc. is working on a steeple project where the church wishes to preserve a steeple but build a modern sanctuary. Eric has seen an example of this in Beverly, an 1870s steeple attached to an ultra-modern sanctuary, although the visual result is not very satisfactory. The rooftop addition he presented for discussion was on a building on Dartmouth St.: a modern, glass pseudo-pyramidal addition on a well-preserved 19th century building. Although not easy to see from the street because of its slope, Eric finds it jarring. Jack Glassman wondered if the sightlines may have helped determine the pyramidal shape of the addition. Michael Lynch pointed out that the building may already have had a previous rooftop addition, in the form of two additional (although stylistically harmonious) floors. Eric thought such contemporary rooftop additions, allowed in the 1970s, would be scrutinized more closely today. Many agreed that it is exceedingly hard to find examples of good, highly visible rooftop additions in historic contexts. Ellen Lipsey said every discussion concerning rooftop additions starts from scratch. 3. Announcements: Lyn Hovey Studio, Inc., in collaboration with Bayridge Residence (Home of the Ayer Mansion, Boston's only Tiffany-designed mansion), cordially invites you to a lecture entitled: "The Maya and their sacred architecture: a view into building with principles of spiritual power," presented by the Mayan spiritual elder, Don Cerilo Perez Oxlaj (Wondering Wolf of the Quiche tribe). The lecture will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 20 and again on Wednesday, Sept. 21, each night at 6 p.m. at the Ayer Mansion, 395 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. Lyn says, "In his slide presentation, Don Cerilo will explain the basics of the Maya Cosmovision, which is not regarded as a religion, but rather as a methodology for being connected to the universe, mother earth and to the grand Ahaw (the Mayan word for God). These ancient people who maintain their ancestors came from the Pliedes constellation have profound spiritual principles that they have learned to harness. Don Cerilo will discuss the architecture of Tikal, Copan and other famous archeological sites built by the Maya as well as by natural Maya spiritual sites such as the caves of Rey Marcos, the Candellaria Caverns, and fabled Lake Atitlan." Reception at 6:00 p.m. followed by the presentation, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Ayer Mansion contains Tiffany-designed decoration. Tickets are $25. Seating is limited. To reserve a space, RSVP to Lyn Hovey, 617-333-9445 by September 12th and say for which night you are reserving.
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