Classroom and Faculty Office Building

This Seminary classroom and faculty office building was constructed in the mid 1920s. The design sought to allow for classrooms to receive maximum daytime illumination through the use of large window openings. Limestone mullions were designed to hold leaded glass windows. The vertical mullions are also integral to the structural integrity of the facade.

Original construction called for the use of steel pins to hold the mullions in place. Over time, and due to the porosity of the limestone, these pins oxidized within the stone. Severe cracking and spalling ensued, which, left un-addressed, would result in multiple failures of mullion units and many damaged leaded glass windows.

Eugene Matthews was selected by the Seminary to undertake these delicate repairs, all while working around multiple classroom schedules. Nearly 70 damaged mullions were restored. The windows were removed, and the window heads shored prior to the operations on the mullions. Some mullions could be patched but many others were so severly cracked that total replacement was necessary.

One concern was that patching operations would create an obviously uneven and unsightly difference in color at the areas of the work. Differences in color affect many limestone structures, but these are often gradual over the length and breadth of the facade, as different elevations and pieces wear in gentle variation, relative to exposure to sun, wind, rain and pollution. EMI solved this problem by using of a unique limestone patching material that can be custom colored at the work site.

Failed mullions were replaced with new cut stone and pinned with new stainless steel pins, epoxy anchored into place. Finally, the original leaded glass windows were carefully reinstalled.

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