SOME TESTING FOR ASBESTOS has been done at Mishkon over the years. (Some abatement work has also been done.)
This post now documents what I have learned from testing reports, our office computer records, and our inspector. It also gives some background information.…
CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES of our historic sanctuary building were identified in the Historic Structure Report (2003; “HSR”). These are the aspects that warrant historic preservation, in the eyes of architectural historians.
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YESTERDAY I HEARD a suggestion that venting skylights be installed in the sanctuary. This idea has great potential, so I have been mulling it over.
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| For illustration purposes only |
Timing is critical. Because the roof membrane (surface) is slated to be re-covered relatively soon—summer 2025—this idea warrants immediate attention. If it were to be implemented at all, the skylights would need to be installed as the new membrane is applied.
To make that happen timely, someone would need to jump on this project right away.
Below the jump, this post briefly explores the venting skylight idea.…
THE CEILING OF our historic Social Hall, according to my recent assessment, has some missing and loose acoustical ceiling tiles.
Ceiling tile gets taken for granted, but it matters a lot. The acoustical ceiling has a significant impact on our experience of being in the Social Hall. By absorbing sound, it reduces the ambient noise and echoes that would otherwise make the cavernous room a difficult place to be in, especially when crowded with people. So it warrants our care!
Below the jump, this post ponders the best course of action. It reflects solely my own opinion.…
AS PART OF reviving the Social Hall, it has been proposed that the ceiling be repainted. At the same time, our reserve study specialist has proposed replacing the ceiling tile altogether (at a cost of $20K), for the sake of aesthetics. Both of these ideas have prompted me to look upward and assess the condition of our acoustical ceiling tile.
This post documents my initial assessment, including 14 photographs.
ON MAY 31 while in the Social Hall, I noticed that there was cracking in a certain section of ceiling, and blistering paint and cracking on the wall near the ceiling. This water-damaged area is located below the south wall of the sanctuary. Presumably rainwater has run down from above.
Is the damage evidence of leaking during this past winter? Or is it a holdover from before we had the south wall waterproofed last July? Unfortunately, I do not know the answer, because I did not think to take baseline photos in the basement at the time of the waterproofing project. (Live and learn!)
So now going forward, we need to monitor this area carefully after each rainstorm. Taking periodic photos and testing with a moisture meter would be advisable. And to that end, this post—below the jump—documents the present state of things.…
…challenges of all — out of the 10 essential roof-supporting posts that sit inside our sanctuary’s walls — appears to be the easternmost one on the south side. That’s not surprising, given that for nearly 75 years it has been sitting inside the pilaster that is the most weather-exposed, and at the edge of a sun-baked, asphalt-covered parking lot.
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| July 13 (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
Below the jump, this blog post recounts our cautious, step-by-step process to understanding what needs to be done — and eventually what it will cost.
SOME YEARS AGO, rainwater apparently made its way through a cracked seam in the roof. It left a noticeable T-shaped crack in the sanctuary ceiling, above the westernmost window on the south side.
Good news to report! CertaPro has now repaired that crack, as part of their prep for the repainting effort that is scheduled to begin in earnest next Monday. Below the jump are two photos that document the repair.
ABOVE THE MEZZANINE ceiling is a large void that, until last week, was inaccessible to human beings — but accessible to termites.
(Previously termites had been spotted through a ceiling hole in the southwest corner of this space, and also in its northeast corner through a roof hole, so the likelihood seemed very high that they were established also in the void between.)
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| Back (western) wall of the sanctuary. (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
This post describes how we created access for humans — who observed not only the purported termite infestations within, but also the structural damage that they have caused.…
EARLIER THIS MONTH, I described my plan to open up two normally enclosed chambers at the junction between the sanctuary roof, ceiling, and walls. Well, that plan was enacted yesterday. We learned a few things, and we took some action! This post describes what happened, and the outcome.…
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| Looking eastward toward the viewing port that Ruben and I had peeked through last week |
OUR SANCTUARY BUILDING includes two long, narrow, enclosed chambers. They run high along the side walls between the ceiling and the roof. About 117’ long, their cross-section is approximately the shape of a triangle whose sides are each about 3’ long.
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| The upper side chambers are underneath the roof troughs that run along the long walls. |
This post (originally published 8/1, now with 5 new photos and more info) lays out our plans for assessing the structural integrity and state of termite activity in these chambers, and for halting any such activity. The work of discovery and treatment is scheduled for August 15.…
ROOF LEAKS HAPPEN, despite a roofer’s best efforts. For example, due to sun exposure, the daily expansion-and-contraction of our school building’s flat roof will eventually push up its roofing nails. When that happens (if it’s before the routine maintenance work pounds those nails back down again), rainwater can find its way in—around a loosened nail or two.
So it’s not surprising that yellowish water stains will show up on a ceiling occasionally. Unfortunately, although staining is a predictable eventuality, we did not seem to be well prepared for it. Even so, things seemed to have worked out, as this post relates.…