Vertical cracks along and above the south wall’s pilasters

VERTICAL CRACKING in the stucco of our pilasters might be merely a rupture in the stucco itself—without having compromised the tar paper (vapor barrier) behind the stucco. On the other hand, as a structural engineer told me today, it could be the opening for a serious structural issue to have developed: dry rot in the post, due to persistent moisture intrusion.   

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

It’s like when a car’s owner finds that one of its tires looks almost flat. Can that tire be patched—or does it need to be replaced? Well, it needs further inspection. Similarly in our case, the best way to find out what we are dealing with is: chip open a couple of the cracks, to see how deep they go. 

Below the jump, this post looks more closely at the newly noticed cracks, and our options.…

Mystery of the stray cable (rev. 6-26-23)

THERE’S A SAGGING WIRE that emerges from a utility pole on Hampton Dr. and runs over to the sanctuary building. Unfortunately, it’s in the way of the pending rehabilitation of the wall.

East side of south wall, showing the sagging wire
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, I explore what little is known about this mystery wire.…

Governmental bodies and a front fence/gate (rev. 6/8/23)

FIVE GOVERNMENTAL BODIES get mentioned as possibly having some sway over a fence/gate in front of Mishkon’s historic sanctuary building. 

Below the jump, this post discusses each one — and what I know about its relevance to our situation.

Finding the appropriate height of a fence/gate

I DON’T USUALLY take selfies—but in this case it’s for a good cause. The question on my mind: how high is high enough?

Here are photos of me standing in front of a 6' gate, a 7' gate, and a 7' fence. (I took these during a recent walk along 11th Street in Santa Monica.)

What the Federation security expert says about best practices for height

JASON DICE, the Federation vice president in charge of the Community Security Initiative (CSI), has consistently taken a balanced approach, in his conversations with me about the height of potential security barriers at Mishkon. 

Below the jump, I summarize and quote his advice.…

Are the outer panes right for our stained glass windows?

OF THE TWELVE OPENABLE PANELS in our south-facing stained-glass windows, 6 of them have protective glazing (an outer pane of clear or wired glass). Notably, the 6 that don’t are all bowed at the bottom. 

It may appear that the outside layer of glass is helping to preserve the stained-glass windows. More likely, the bowing on those panels occurred first, causing the outer glass to fall out. After all, our consultant 20 years ago warned us that the protective glazing was improperly installed—and was therefore shortening the life of our windows.

Below the jump, I excerpt (without comment) from a longer article on the topic, written by an expert.…

City oversight of cultural-historic monuments

ACCORDING TO THE LOS ANGELES Cultural Heritage Ordinance, the Cultural Heritage Commission is vested with the responsibility to preserve the city’s monuments. The full text of the ordinance is available here.

This post outlines the Commission’s duties and procedures with regard to its oversight of monuments, drawing upon the ordinance itself and brief comments by the city’s preservation architect.

From the City’s preservation architect, on permitting requirements for our fence

From email on 5/2/23 by Lambert Giessinger, Senior Architect, Los Angeles City Planning, Office of Historic Resources:

[If] the proposed fence is allowed by-right…, the discussion then comes down to meeting the Secretary [of the Interior’s] Standards [for Rehabilitation]. The main concept here will be that the proposed fence is designed to be independent of the building and be “reversible” despite the fact that it would alter the open plaza in front of the property.

There is a balance to strike between maintaining the historic character of the property while allowing new challenges to be addressed (like security). Ideally, the fence will be as visually open and low as possible. Perhaps, it can have larger sections that open-up the plaza when there are services or events. Undoubtedly, these are the design issues you’re working through now. 

I’m happy to continue the conversation and review the concepts when they are ready.

Installing a “man trap” at the Social Hall doors

A DOORWAY WITH AN ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM functions as a security checkpoint. It is the first line of defense against would-be intruders or vandals. One type of access control system is known as a “man trap.” It consists of a small space and two separately controlled entrance ways, in sequence.

(That name was coined in an earlier era — when the word “man” was used to refer to any person who was in a certain situation, without regard to their gender. As in the boater’s classic distress cry, “Man overboard!”)

Below the jump, this post describes how that security concept would be applied to our Social Hall entrance on Main Street.…

Tracking the precipitation (rainfall) at Mishkon

BOTH FOR OUTDOOR PROJECTS and to keep tabs on water intrusion, it can be helpful to know when and how much rain has fallen. Fortunately, the County has a rain gauge close by. It’s at the Electric Avenue Pumping Plant, located at the corner of Brooks Ave.

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

This post pinpoints that gauge’s location relative to Mishkon. It also explains how to read the continuous online report.