Test your knowledge of historic and iconic buildings in the U.S. (and beyond!) in this series of “guess the building” blog posts. Series No. 4: These sculpted limestone panels were spotted during a tower investigation of an early twentieth-century church. You’ll need binoculars to see them in person, since they’re about 80 feet above the sidewalk.…
by Kevin Dalton I recently attended the opening reception for Feats of Clay: Philadelphia Brick and Terra Cotta, an exhibition on the legacy of Philadelphia’s brick and terra cotta industry at the Harvey and Irwin Kroiz Gallery, The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania, curated by Frank Matero. The exhibit included artifacts from now…
Each week we’re bringing you an in-depth look at one of the standard conditions we encounter and document during inspections of buildings and civil structures. Part 20: Stucco Conditions Stucco is a cementitious coating applied to masonry, wood, or metal lath as a watertight exterior finish. Historically, stucco was sometimes colored and scored to imitate…
Each week we’re bringing you an in-depth look at one of the standard conditions we encounter and document during inspections of buildings and civil structures. Part 19: Slate Conditions Slate is a metamorphic rock that is easily split along its layers and dressed, yielding an attractive, durable roof tile. In the U.S. slate is quarried in…
Each week we’re bringing you an in-depth look at one of the standard conditions we encounter and document during inspections of buildings and civil structures. Part 18: Wood Conditions Wood is one of the oldest architectural materials. In historic and modern exterior applications, wood may be used in the form of structural timbers or dimensional…
Each week we’re bringing you an in-depth look at one of the standard conditions we encounter and document during inspections of buildings and civil structures. Part 17: Metal Conditions Metals used in the construction of buildings and civil structures include cast and wrought iron, steel, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, tin, nickel, and various alloys. We…
Each week we’re bringing you an in-depth look at one of the standard conditions we encounter and document during inspections of buildings and civil structures. Part 16: Plaster Conditions Plaster is a finish material used principally for interior walls and ceilings. Ubiquitous in buildings of all types until well into the 20th century, plaster’s low…
Each week we’re bringing you an in-depth look at one of the standard conditions we encounter and document during inspections of buildings and civil structures. Part 15: Glass Conditions Architectural uses of glass include window glazing, glass block, curtain wall panels, and even structural glass. Window glazing may include clear glass, stained glass, faceted or…
Each week we’re bringing you an in-depth look at one of the standard conditions we encounter and document during inspections of buildings and civil structures. Part 14: Previous Repairs Previous repairs are prior attempts to remedy building material failures. We typically categorize repairs as crack repairs, patches, dutchmen, or replacements, and we distinguish between sound…
Each week we’re bringing you an in-depth look at one of the standard conditions we encounter and document during inspections of buildings and civil structures. Part 13: Failed Coatings Failed coatings include paints, sealants, and other surface treatments that exhibit blistering, peeling, wrinkling, crazing, checking, alligatoring, chalking, staining, discoloration, pinholes or other types of deterioration.…
