ON THE EXTERIOR of the sanctuary building, along the south and north walls, the tie rods appear to be supported by pillars that jut out from the wall. What are these pillars made of, and what is their condition? Here is an initial answer.
Executive Summary
Opening up an exploratory hole in the pillar that seemed to be in the worst condition, we found a steel I-beam (slightly rusted) and a wooden post (badly damaged by termites).
UPDATE, June 2023: Rather, we found a steel plate that we misinterpreted as an I-beam. More recent uncovering of the wall’s innards has revealed that it is actually an angle bracket that holds the post in place on the foundation wall.
Exploration and Findings
On August 15, I along with structural engineer Parbi Boodaghian took a claw hammer to the corner of one pillar, to find out more about what was inside. (This was before I learned about the occasional use of asbestos in the stucco of that era!) We opened up an exploratory hole about 1" x 2". After poking around, I was intending to come back within a few weeks to close it up temporarily with rope caulk, made from clay.
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| (As usual, you can click/tap on photos to enlarge them.) |
Beneath the stucco, we noticed fairly decrepit metal lath and fairly decrepit tar paper. I suppose those conditions were to be expected, given the age of the system. Behind that, we found the corner of what must be a steel I-beam (see annotation). Note that the I-beam was rusty in spots, indicating that the tar paper covering it had already been compromised.
Meanwhile, our termite inspector Jesus did his annual inspection; and this year (unlike last year) we were able to get him access to the southern exterior. When he peered into the newly made hole, he noticed a wooden “pier post” that showed termite damage (!).
At the time I made the hole, I hadn’t noticed any wood inside that pillar. But now that I look more closely at my photo, I do see decaying wood (see annotation).
Jesus then treated the hole for termites — and closed it up with white caulk.
Given the I-beam, why is there also a wooden post? Perhaps as a support for the metal stucco lath?
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