Owner: National Park Service, Denver Service Center
Contractor: Coon Restoration and Sealants, Inc.
Historic Stone Masonry Preservation
Speweik Preservation Consultants (SPC) completed consultation work in 2017 on this monumental historic stone memorial column constructed of granite. The project is located on South Bass Island, Put-in-Bay, Ohio. The project involved removing sealant from between the granite joints and replacing it with mortar, and also removing stains from the granite surface. SPC worked with the architect and specified a mortar that was very dry to maximize compaction during installation and to prevent shrinkage cracks from occurring as the material cures.
Custom Masonry Restoration Tools
This mortar condition made it extremely difficult to install the mortar into the head joints as the material would not stick to the repointing tool. The contractor simply wanted to add more water to the mortar to fix the problem. SPC did not allow this for the technical reasons mentioned. Instead, SPC fabricated a new tool at the project site.
The new tool was used and was a contributing factor to the success of the project. Four miles of mortar joints were carefully inspected by SPC during the construction phase. Similar to the requirements for the Texas Old General Land Office project, SPC was hired to provide an ASTM E2659-18 onsite training program, review material testing, oversee test panel installations, provide technical documentation on installation methods, and provide Quality Assurance Inspections with detailed field reports. All training was in compliance with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Secretary Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
