South wall: Opinion of a stucco repair contractor

TODAY I MET outside the south wall with Brian James, who works for a stucco repair contractor. He has 17 years of experience in dealing with aging and decrepit stucco surfaces in the L.A. area. While awaiting his bid for restoration, I will write up what I learned from our conversation.…

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Tips for good ventilation and thermal comfort in our school building

PICTURE A HALLWAY that’s lined with doorways. You might think that in a proper hallway, all those doors should be closed. A nice and neat look, yes?

Yet that is not how our school building was designed to function! 

This post discusses our building’s characteristics, and how best to work with them.…

Mishkon as a landmark: Report summary

THIS POST gives you access to my 4-page summary of the Historic Structure Report (2003), a still-valuable yet little-known work that was prepared for Mishkon by a cadre of experts. Click HERE for the PDF file.

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, I briefly describe the significance of the original report and of the new summary.…

Board authorizes south wall projects

LAST NIGHT, the board of directors approved an enabling resolution stating that two related B&G projects should be undertaken as reserve funds become available. 

• Repair and waterproof the exterior south wall of the sanctuary
• Repair the damaged pilaster base on that wall

Expenditures of up to a certain stated amount* were authorized, provided that the usual procurement procedures are followed. Due to the uncertain nature of working on poorly maintained older buildings, an allowance for contingency was included.

Already the funds equal to the authorized amount are either in the Capital Improvements Fund, or verbally committed by donors specifically for these projects.

So the ball is now back in the court of the B&G Committee, for the execution of these projects.

*I prefer not to post the total authorized amount online until our vendor negotiations are completed.

 

Optimal air-filtration-unit set-up for Kiddush Lunches

THE THREE D.I.Y. air purifiers should be placed near where people are breathing, yet do not blow air directly on anyone.

Below the jump, I show some photos.…

Another pass at ventilation in the Social Hall

TODAY I took another look at a key section of the Historic Structure Report (HSR), namely its comprehensive analysis of the mechanical (air handling) system in the Social Hall, as of 20 years ago. Potentially good news there, with regard to our being able to provide decent ventilation in the era of covid-19, at least when the weather is mild. It may be practical for us to safely use the room, after all!

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

What I hadn’t realized before is that even though the Social Hall’s furnace no longer works, the supply fan might still be able to provide ventilation to the hall and kitchen. 

Decorative painting (murals) on the sanctuary’s eastern wall

MUCH OF THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK from 1948 is currently hidden behind two coats of paint in our sanctuary. However, it is the intent of our most preservation-oriented member that those decorations be uncovered in a future restoration effort. In the meantime, let’s take care not to damage them further!

Detail from underneath the Decalogue frieze, as seen in a 1948 photo
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

This post recaps what is known from the 2003 Historic Structure Report (HSR) and from old photographs. Let’s start with the photos.…

About our sanctuary’s architecture (from the 2003 Historic Structure Report)

OUR TWO-STORY sanctuary building is one of the few remaining examples in Los Angeles of the Classical Revival style that was commonly used in the design of Jewish houses of worship through the 1940s. Its façade expresses the pride of Mishkon Tephilo’s members at the time: a dignified presence on Main Street that was also modest.

Architect’s early rendering
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

This post interprets our temple in terms of the broader issues faced by many urban Jewish communities of that era. Its words are excerpted from the 2003 Historic Structure Report, and lightly edited for brevity.

Update: Theater seats in the sanctuary (Documentation of adapted use)

ACCORDING TO the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties — the main standard for the preservation and protection of historic objects — “all replacement or alterations should be documented with description, pictorial and physical evidence.” 

As noted elsewhere on this blog, the sanctuary’s theater seats are among Mishkon’s “historic objects.” Below the jump, this post documents a recent change in our treatment of the theater seats.

What can we learn from a moisture meter?

AT THE SUGGESTION of Jon Cochrane, a general contractor who has dealt with water intrusion, I bought a well-regarded, dual-mode moisture meter (combined pinned and pinless type) for $57. I tried it out in December (one day after the synagogue received nearly 1" of rain) and again in January (right after more than 3" of rain in one week, followed shortly by another 2.5" in two days). 

This post shows what I learned about the inside of the sanctuary’s south wall.…

South wall: Deferred maintenance makes revealing patterns

IMMEDIATELY AFTER a heavy rain, the stucco wall looks quite different than usual. Apparently the many places where moisture enters the stucco become easy to see. Those are the darker (wet) spots and lines that stand out against the lighter (drier) areas.

(As usual, click/tap on a photo to enlarge it.)

In other words, the dark patches are where the surface is readily admitting moisture into the wall.

Below the jump, this post documents the water-intrusion situation in a new way.…

Enabling motions: Status report

THIS IS A FOLLOW-UP to yesterday’s post about the importance of enabling motions. This post documents the actual authorizations and the resulting spending to date.

• For a summary table of the 16 project categories approved so far, click/tap HERE.

• For a bar chart that compares the $$ amount authorized with the amount spent, click/tap HERE. (The image above is a detail from the bar chart.)

• For a fuller status report on what has been done, and what remains to be done, category by category, click/tap HERE.

Enabling motions: The key to restoring our facilities

WHEN IT COMES TO the repairs and restoration of our facility, we seldom know in advance what a project’s final cost will be. Unforeseen circumstances — otherwise known as surprises — are so common in poorly maintained older buildings. Consequently, it is not practical to ask the board of directors to authorize a precise amount (as would fit the purchase of a commodity item). That approach would probably result in halting the project in midstream, in order to get a reauthorization. And that requirement, in turn, would risk not only the success of the project, but also alienating our hard-working vendors.

So how can the board carry out its fiduciary (stewardship) responsibility to maintain the facility in good order? Find out below the jump.…

More issues with pilaster bases at the south wall

THIS POST provides clear evidence that water is getting through the wall from outside, and that the stem wall is getting overly wet in even more places that have structural implications.

December 1st — baseline for comparison
(As usual, click/tap on a photo to enlarge it.)

December 1st — exposed base of post — baseline for comparison

Repairing the monument marquee sign (when its title sign falls out)

LAST FRIDAY MORNING, I arrived at Mishkon (to meet the termite-treatment crew) and noticed a problem with our monument marquee sign. 

(No, I’m not talking about the missing lettering on the glass-covered board inside — which says ELCO TO IS ON instead of WELCOME TO MISHKON. That’s not the B&G Committee’s responsibility, is it?)

This post identifies the repair problem and describes how I managed to fix it myself.