Van Nuys Building
Los Angeles, L.A., California
Rehabilitation of the Exterior Veneer of a 1911 Office Building, Window Restoration and Interior Stone.
The Van Nuys Building on the corner of Spring and 7th in downtown Los Angeles involved the complete preservation of the entire exterior veneer, encompasssing terra cotta, granite, wood windows, and cement stucco. Over 300,000 sq.ft. of building surface was restored in a comprehensive and carefully phased project.
Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Street_Financial_District
Click on images below to view at larger size.
Adaptive re-use project involving restoration of the exterior veneer materials, including terra cotta, granite, wood windows, cement stucco and interior marble lobby and bronze doors. |
Much of the terra cotta veneer was highly modeled and articulated, making the decay and repair scope more challenging and extensive. |
The upper floors clad in glazed terra cotta comprised the lion's share of media addressed in this project, but the lower two floors of Sierra White granite had some detailing common for this period. |
The hand-carved Corinthian capitals were another stylistic tool employed in the decoration of the Beaux-Arts veneer. |
Unfortunately, these attractive details can articulate a decorative surface, but they also provide havens for pigeons and other types of soiling. Fortunately, this particular type of stone can be very effectively cleaned with a mild acidic-based cleaner and pressurized water. |
Damage to the terra cotta was limited to isolated signs of stress releif from earthquakes. Most repairs were to locations of failed glaze and repointing of joints. |
Other media addressed on this large-scale project (approximately 100,000 square feet of exterior surface) included failed cement stucco. |
For these repairs, care was taken to removal all failed or unsound original material, and replace with matching 3-coat application of cement stucco prior to painting. |
In this complete restoration of the building, interior marble surfaces required cleaning and refinishing. Here the difference in appearance between a properly cleaned and original marble surface indicate how far a decorative material can vary over time. |
Marble lobby floors on each floor were carefully patched, repaired, and resurfaced. Final treatment of each floor included the application of a penterating sealer to render the stone surface more resistant to oil-and water-based stain sources. |
Interior living units were completely remodeled on a floor-by-floor schudule, with our exterior restoration of all surfaces and wood windows moving alongside in unison. Here the difference between cleaned and uncleaned surfaces is beginning to become more apparent. |
Here the difference in before and after images is quite startling. Simple removal of 100 years' worth of baked on carbon and soiling has dramtically transformed the look and feel of the builidng and the streetscape as well. |
This former office building is now home to over a thousand residents, providing much-needed affordable housing to our growing population of retirees. |