Historic Downtown Hotel

This building was built in the mid 1920s and constructed mainly of terra cotta and brick. The project consisted of two major operations.

Terra Cotta Replacement.
Substantial cracking and crazing on terra cotta window heads was developing into a major potential hazard. Eugene Matthews worked closely with the structural engineer and the terra cotta manufacturer to construct a series of models needed to create an extrusion die required for the manufacture of new terra cotta units. Eugene Matthews then selectively removed and replaced over 650 failed terra cotta window head units.

Structural Steel Repairs.
Extensive compression damage to brick columns on the east and north elevations revealed an original design flaw in the shelf angle detail; shelf angle did not extend int othe columsn. Eugene Matthews removed extensive portions of these brick column areas and installed over sixty-four, custom designed steel shelf angle "column wraps". These newly retrofitted and reinforced areas were completely reflashed and then reconstructed to prohibit further water penetration.

Additional miscellaneous work included the removal and replacement of over 3800 lineal feet of window sealant.

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