The Architect specified the exterior to be cleaned using high pressure water and gentle chemicals to remove the nearly 100 years of dirt, organic growth and soot. Upon commencement of the cleaning process, it was clear that the community took notice. One neighbor said, "It was as if a light had been turned on at east 79th Street and Quincy Avenue."
Once the cleaning was completed, M-A Building extracted a sample of the existing mortar for analysis. From that a restoration / tuckpointing mortar was formulated that replicates the original in appearance and composition. This mortar was used to tuckpoint 100% of the mortar joints in the Library.
Stone Step Restoration
The 100 year old main entrance stone steps have served the Library well. They were in need of repair and M-A Building carefully dismantled the stone step structure. Each stone was preserved and numbered and then brought back to our warehouse for restoration and preservation. Many of the pieces of stones were cracked and broken and required a surgical like repair using high strength epoxy injection and stainless steel rods to strengthen the stone treads.
The old brick foundations were beyond salvage. New concrete block foundation walls were designed and built on the existing stone footers. Piece by piece, step by step, coping stone by coping stone the step structure was rebuilt by careful and caring hands to recapture its original purpose.
