Imagining the Foundations of Preservation Practice in the Age of Big Data 
Julie McGilvray, Simeon A. Warren, and Brent R. Fortenberry, Ph.D., RPA

The National Park System, along with its national partners, is currently facing challenges posed by the abundance of digital tools to visualize our architectural heritage. This situation requires staff to learn how to effectively employ this data and utilize these tools. The National Park Service possesses a vast array of cultural heritage, making it difficult to quantify the challenges in developing long-term effective strategies for tool usage. This presentation will examine some of the models being developed within the National Park Service to address the challenges of capturing large-scale data and to demonstrate the potential of these new visualization tools.

Balancing Preservation, Openness, and Security in the Shadow of the Washington Monument
Jill Cavanaugh, AIA, AICP

The Washington Monument is the most prominent memorial to the nation’s first president and one of the most visited icons in the country. Since its completion in 1886, the first significant intervention to the Monument was introduced by the National Park Service (NPS) in 2001 when a temporary security screening station was placed at its entrance. From 2009-2019, the NPS, in collaboration with Beyer Blinder Belle, planned and implemented a new permanent visitor screening facility to improve the security and visitor flow at the Monument; preserve the historic fabric and character; enhance the overall visitor experience of the Monument and Grounds; and avoid compromising the views and vistas within the context of the National Mall.

The design process, environmental planning, and historic preservation compliance were critical to ensure the successful introduction of an appropriate and sympathetic intervention at the Washington Monument to satisfy all project goals. Throughout the process, the architects, engineers, NPS and the US Park Police embarked on a creative and collaborative process to develop highly innovative solutions resolve several seemingly opposing goals: to create a highly fortified facility that was both open and transparent; to obscure visibility into the facility but allow visibility outward; to design foundations that had the strength of permanence to support a facility that could ultimately be removable.

The resulting design was described by a preservation stakeholder as a “transparent shadow at the Monument’s base” and includes a range of translucent, semi-transparent, and reflective surfaces punctuated by a steel entrance portal that provide both views to the top of the Monument, the US Capitol, President’s Park, and the Tidal Basin while also achieving the required security protection.

The National WWI Memorial: Balancing Preservation and Memorialization at Pershing Park

Isabelle Gizinski and David Rubin

Within the urban context of Washington, D.C., our nation commemorates historic conflicts, events, and figures through the use of memorials and monuments. As we navigate the limited availability of open space within the city fabric, existing sites designated to host that commemoration often have to adapt to incorporate this new construct. The National World War I Memorial (NWWI) is an elegant example of this adaptability. It utilizes key aspects of the original Pershing Park as part of the final rendition of the NWWI site. With the unveiling of the site sculpture, A Soldier’s Journey, occurring on September 13th of this year, the public will be able to experience the completed memorial for the first time since its site selection in 2013.

Originally designed as a modernist park by M. Paul Friedberg and Partners, Pershing Park opened in 1981 as a celebratory gathering space that included a memorial to General John J. Pershing and a water feature that doubled as both celebratory water feature and ice rink dependent on the season. Through a design competition, the team of architect Joe Weishaar and sculptor Sabin Howard were selected to move their proposal forward within the identified project site of Pershing Park. GWWO Architects served as the Architect of Record, and during the agency review process, landscape architecture firm DAVID RUBIN Land Collective was selected to assist in moving the design forward. Within this timeline, the site was designated as eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. As a result, the site design was realigned to focus on the idea of remembrance and commemoration within the framework of the existing site design.

Through a presentation and site tour, the design team will discuss the challenges and solutions of turning an historic urban park into a national memorial. This includes integrating new site circulation, accessibility improvements, sculpture and fountain, lighting, signage, and material selection into the existing site. Materials such as the stone selection show how the use of stone and stone types helped distinguish the existing vs. new insertions, and memorial focus vs. tableau. Since many aspects of the original design remain within the redesigned park, the Pershing Memorial is translated across the expansion of the memorial through new key focal points and interpretive support elements. Expansion upon these design elements will occur during a 45-minute presentation about the memorial conducted by GWWO Architects and DAVID RUBIN Land Collective with 15-minutes for questions. This presentation can be coupled with a site visit to NWWI where the team can highlight areas discussed during the presentation and join members of the construction management team to further elaborate on construction within this significant landscape.

Conservation of Monuments Outside their Element: Neptune Fountain and 9/11 Memorials
Silvia Callegari and Michael Weinbrecht

Monuments and memorials pose conservation challenges because of their range of materials, commemorative values, environment, and design goals. Often materials that are not designed to withstand years of exposure to the natural elements are installed outdoors, risking physical loss, and undermining the integrity of the memorial. Even monuments that consider the environment cannot escape the effects of water, air pollution, acid rain, and other natural elements.

We will discuss two case studies that demonstrate both scenarios and how treatment interventions and maintenance planning can help manage preservation of materials in nonideal environments: The bronze Neptune Fountain at the Library of Congress Building in Washington, D.C. was modeled by Roland Hinton Perry and cast by Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company in 1898. EverGreene Architectural Arts (EverGreene) has performed semi-annual maintenance of the fountain since 2017. Though the fountain was designed to interact with water—water is detrimental to the bronze, nonetheless—and the fountain requires steadfast maintenance to mitigate its effects. Each maintenance focuses on re- application of hot-wax coatings and must also ensure replication of the overall patina to touch-up areas. The coatings protect the bronze from advanced corrosion formation and potential material loss. We will discuss approaches to maintenance; what a maintenance plan looks like; and typical conditions and scenarios that conservation professionals encounter with bronze maintenance.

After the tragedy of the attack on The World Trade Center on 9-11-2001 architectural wreckage was salvaged with the intent of rehabilitating certain elements as displays of remembrance. EverGreene is honored to have worked on three salvaged architectural elements installed to serve as memorials at three separate locations. These architectural elements were not designed to be exposed to the natural elements, which as memorials installed outdoors, they would now contend. Each of the 9/11 Memorials called for conservation intervention at different times; two of the memorials were already installed when treatment occurred, and one was treated prior to installation. EverGreene assisted with each case to provide treatment, maintenance and preventative action. Though the 9/11 Memorials are impressive large-scale pieces of industrial steel, once installed outdoors, the natural environment and water especially, began to deteriorate the steel. The 9/11 memorials presented original paint as well which also required treatment and protection. We will discuss how the role of the conservator in the design development phase can be an integral part of ensuring the best long-term care for outdoor memorials.

A Twice Threatened Civic Icon Finds Its Place - Reviving Richmond's Old City Hall
Katie Irwin, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP BD+C; Amanda Lewkowicz, AIA, LEED AP, SITES AP; and Gary J. Woodall, LEED AP BD+C, IES, IALD

The predicament before us was complex: to return a Richmond icon to its historic grandeur, restoring key features not seen in generations, while addressing code, sustainability, accessibility, and modernizing the building to create a 21st-century workplace to meet the needs of the state agencies that were to be housed there. On its opening, Elijah E. Myers’ Old City Hall was noted in the Richmond Dispatch as “an epoch marking an event in the history of the progress and growth of the city.” Enveloping a prominent city block adjacent to Richmond’s Capitol Square, its construction was a sign of a city on the rise. Yet the building would see repeated calls for its demolition and replacement in the early twentieth century as the building no longer had the space to fulfill functional needs and its Gothic Revival style fell out of fashion. The building was repeatedly threatened until it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971 and purchased by the state of Virginia for use as an office building. A 1980s renovation introduced subdivisions inside of existing courtrooms and historically inaccurate paint colors in the four-story atrium, obscuring the character and beauty of the building that once was touted upon opening as “splendid architecture and construction.”

Our charge for the renovation included accurately restoring the atrium. The original design centered around natural light illuminating from above. A restrained palette sheathed ornate walkways and stairs. The atrium was constructed from cast iron, part of the movement toward “fireproof” buildings – but with faux wood graining lending the feel of an ornate wood interior. Through historical research, paint analysis, and paint exposures, the original finishes for the atrium were uncovered – including decorative painting that simulated the look of oak on cast iron elements. Creative problem-solving for fire protection was required to restore the space while meeting code. Working with the architectural volumes and ornament of the vaulted spaces and the overhead laylight, sprinklers and beam type detectors were integrated with precision.

Natural light was supplemented with the restoration and modification of atrium chandeliers and torchieres to save energy while retaining the space’s original character. The light fixtures were originally constructed with both gas and electric elements, reflecting a transitional time in energy. The project recreated these dual features, bringing an energy-efficient solution to the original aesthetic.

The restoration extended throughout the building. Crowded, partitioned office spaces and inadequate access to light challenged prior tenants. Bringing back the historic courtroom sizes while hiding all systems allowed for the volumes to return giving office spaces with universal access to natural daylight that fosters a modern collaborative office setting. During construction, systems were integrated into floors, ceiling, and walls that are now, all but invisible to the eye.

The completed project has restored the building’s original quiet elegance, creating a dignified space for state employees and visitors while updating it for modern needs.

Monumental Mistakes, Re-Takes, and Alternate Takes
Bryan Clark Green, Ph.D., LEED AP BD+C, APT RP

 

 

Preserving a Memorial - The Use of Advance Technologies to Provide Long-Term Repair Solutions for Monumental and Memorial Structures: Case Study: The Elks National Memorial

Gina Crevello, MSc

The Elks National Memorial, designed by Egerton Swarthout, and located in Chicago, IL is a testament to Veteran Members of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, a national fraternal organization. In 1923, as a tribute to their fallen WWI soldiers, the Elks began building a Beaux Arts Style limestone rotunda with modern and seemingly durable construction materials of the time. Today the Memorial still serves its’ original purpose, is the organization’s headquarters, and is a local, state and national landmark. The building has been rededicated three times, to recognize and honor Veterans of WWII, the Korean and Vietnam wars. It is often used for special events, landmark ceremonies and tours.

The building is a colonnaded rotunda with an embellished entablature, 360 feet in diameter, supported by 24 ionic columns, 30 feet in height. The structural system of the rotunda and colonnade is a mix of load bearing masonry and steel frame construction. The entablature, soffit, and dome are supported by an embedded steel frame which rests upon the limestone colonnade. The entablature supports 15 foot limestone soffit stones which span between the colonnade. Through weathering and exposure, detailing and previous repairs, the embedded steel frame and lug anchorage was starting to experience corrosion. In one location, corroding lug anchors caused severe damage to the masonry soffit stones causing immediate concern.

Due to the complex construction, undocumented design details, and the location of the embedded steel, accessing the steel for a traditional repair was not feasible. After a corrosion investigation, a feasibility study, and an assessment of the clients’ long-term maintenance requirements, Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) integrated with minimal masonry repairs was chosen as an optimal long-term strategy to address ongoing corrosion. The use of ICCP provided a significant cost savings over deconstruction, a shorter construction duration over traditional repairs, and met the client’s preservation goals.

Commissioned in October 2013, the ICCP system has been operational for more than a decade. The presentation will highlight the complex construction of the Memorial, how the use of ICCP benefited the structure and its’ stewards, the long-term performance of the system, updated data acquisition systems for remote monitoring, and recent drone surveys employed for visual inspections as access to the structure is so challenging. In addition, 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the use of ICCP in historic buildings in the US (Marshall Fields) and should be a reminder that non-invasive, technologically intelligent systems, can assist owners and designers in providing durable solutions for material preservation.

Re-examination of Testing and Application of De-Colorizing Treatments for Pigmented Biofilms on Memorial Amphitheater and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery - 2014 to Today

Judy Jacob and Caitlin Smith, AIA, PA

In 2014, Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) embarked upon a five-year study to better understand the black-pigmented biofilms on Memorial Amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknown, and to find a treatment that would decolorize them for as long as possible with as little damage to the environment as possible. This presentation will provide insights to the testing and evaluation of treatments, factors that enabled the decision to use a novel, untried treatment on a large scale, and how a treatment protocol for use by masonry contractors—using the team’s original research—was developed.

Memorial Amphitheater was constructed from 1915-1920 of Vermont Danby marble. The Tomb of the Unknown was placed in front of the amphitheater in 1931 and is of Colorado Yule marble. Erosion, both natural and that created by decades of chemical- and water-blasting treatments, has created surfaces that now harbor biofilms, communities of microorganisms held together and to their substrate by a self-produced, sticky, gel-like substance. While biofilms cover all marble surfaces and cannot be removed permanently, those containing microorganisms producing black pigments are the ones considered visually detractive.

ANC partnered with the Northeast Region of the National Park Service to perform decolorizing-treatment tests. Tests included quaternary-ammonium-compound-containing products, sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, laser ablation, and zinc oxide. Performance was evaluated by eye and by comparing photographs made over the course of the study.

A suspension of zinc oxide in water was the most effective treatment to decolorize the biofilms. With that, the decision to use an untried non-commercial treatment was difficult. In 2019, ANC assembled a multidisciplinary team of advisors to review the test results and evaluate treatment options. The critical factors leading to the unanimous decision to use zinc oxide was the nature of the material left on the stone and the material that would eventually be washed into the ground: both were identifiable and inert.

Treatment consisted of zinc-oxide suspended in water and brush- or spray-applied to surfaces. Initially, the suspension looked like translucent white paint. As the paint-like appearance disappeared, the black of the biofilm also disappeared. After one year, the marble was nearly uniformly white in color. Zinc oxide is easy and safe to apply, produces no decomposition products, is inexpensive, and is shipped dry. It will be a simple operation when selective re-application is necessary. Now, four years after treatment, the amphitheater and tomb are still white. There are some areas where the black-pigmented biofilm is returning, but not to a noticeable extent. Retreatment will commence when the return is more noticeable.

Simultaneously with treatment tests, seniors in the Biotech and Life Sciences Lab at Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology (Arlington, VA) collected biofilm samples for metagenomic analysis. They perfected sample-collection methodology and identified community species, both before and after treatments. Their analysis provides data that will be most useful in evaluating treatment efficacy over time.

The lessons of biofilm decolorizing tests, monitoring, and treatment on Memorial Amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknown can be applied to marble monuments and buildings in Washington, DC, and throughout the country. The team continues investigating provocative questions related to how preservationists determine whether historic structures should be cleaned, and what the short- and long-term consequences of that cleaning are on both the built and natural environments.