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.…
ON MARCH 3, Mishkon submitted a grant proposal to the National Fund for Sacred Places, which I helped to write. If awarded, the grant would provide a 1:1 match of funds, namely half of the estimated $186K needed to rebuild the glazing in the 12 exposed windows, and to overhaul their frames and hardware, in our historic sanctuary building.
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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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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THIS PROJECT was completed last month. It features several historically significant components of our sanctuary building’s façade. Therefore this post follows a report template in the 2003 Historic Structure Report, as recommended for all historic-cultural monuments.
| (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
Below the jump, this post restates the basic need and documents the work done. For more background, see HERE.…
WHAT COLOR will the façade of our historic building be, after it is waterproofed this summer?
The present blue-gray color — which is not original — is not a prudent choice from a maintenance perspective. Therefore last summer, given our need for a lighter and more neutral color, an ad-hoc committee recommended two color choices instead.
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| Left side: Southwest corner of façade, last painted 17 years ago. Right side: Western edge of south wall, recoated in July 2023. (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
This post updates a similar one from 3/30/23, which I wrote before the committee met, and before a color was selected for the south wall exterior.
YES, WE HAVE a grand, multi-year plan for the rehabilitation of Mishkon’s facilities. It is based on the 2003 Historic Structure Report, which offered us a list of priorities largely from a restoration perspective, and the 2019 Property Condition Assessment, which suggested measures based on a standard facilities management perspective.
THE TITLE of this post is a sincere question that is being posed to our waterproofing contractor, Cameron Figgins of Absolute Maintenance & Consulting. My focus here is on the concrete stem wall (also known as the foundation wall), which juts out along the bottom of the overall exterior wall.
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| Why does the section on the right of the pilaster look so different from the one on the left? (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
My concern is not aesthetics but rather that the rightmost section seems less well protected from future water intrusion.
I’ve been wanting to pose that title question in person since mid-August, but I haven’t succeeded in meeting up with Cameron on site. So last week, I asked him via email. He promptly replied:
Please send me something from a few different angles.… I'm really interested to see what you're talking about here, see what you might mean.
In response, I am uploading photos to this post. Below the jump break, I document how the easternmost section of our wall looks markedly different from the other sections.
HERE IS A SERIES of interior photos of the area above the termite-damaged post, at the tie-rod connection that was exposed in August 2023. Studying these images helped Benny and me (in consultation with the contractor) figure out how best to effect a repair of the post.
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| Exterior view of the tie-rod connection, above the post (As usual, click/tap on an image in order to enlarge it.) |
A crucial step was to establish the structural integrity of this tie-rod connection — that is, the meeting point of the rod that crosses the ceiling and the top chord (arch) of the truss that holds up the roof. We were counting on that meeting point to be stable (undamaged by termites), so that the contractor could temporarily support the roof by propping up the tie rod, just long enough to swap out the post for a new one.
Fortunately, as shown by the photos below the jump, the termites did not get into the tie-rod connection itself.
DURING THIS YEAR of the 75th anniversary of our historic sanctuary building, the time seems ripe for a Friends of Mishkon organization to emerge.
Friends of Mishkon would enable our former members, their families, denizens of Venice, and others to channel their good wishes for Mishkon in support of restoring our historic building. And it would enable that building to receive the loving attention that it deserves from more than just our current synagogue membership. It’s a win-win proposition.
Below the jump, this post outlines what this support organization might look like…
THE BASIC PLAN for restoring the sanctuary building’s façade and eliminating water intrusion is outlined in this post. (The condition of the walls is documented in photographs HERE.)
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| (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
THE SANCTUARY BUILDING façade on Main Street is due for restoration, given the longstanding water intrusion in the hallway. The same kind of problems that we found at the south wall are increasingly evident. They seem to be the result of two of the 1948 construction methods — namely, the lack of a weep screed and of a waterproof coating for the above-ground portion of the concrete foundation.
We know basically what needs to be done. Now it’s a matter of gathering the necessary funds, completing a contract, and arranging the logistics of the restoration work.
Below the jump, this post documents the present condition of the walls, via photographs. (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)
…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.
THE SANCTUARY WALL that faces southeast (which we call “the south wall” for convenience) is pretty massive: 139 ft long, and 25 ft high on average.
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| With the early morning shadows from our neighbor’s suspended cables (As usual, click/tap on an image in order to enlarge it.) |
Below the jump, this post will document and illustrate this wall’s recent rehabilitation, which the contractor says is now about 90% complete.
UNLIKE MOST BUILDING WALLS, our sanctuary’s long walls are made of two different materials: concrete (along the bottom), and a wood frame that is covered with gypsum lath and plaster. This has been a problem for the portion of the south wall that is exposed to the (sometimes blazing) sun, as compounded by re-radiation from the adjacent asphalt parking lot. In reaction to the daily heating-and-cooling cycles, the two parts of our wall respond differently: they expand and contract at different rates. Little wonder, then, that over the past 25 years, a horizontal crack developed along the seam between the two parts of the wall, running about 70' long.
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| 1/10/23: Horizontal crack at the seam of the concrete wall and the frame wall also showing moisture damage from water intrusion (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
As you probably know, the wall is in the process of reconstruction, as part of the interior painting project. Below the jump, this post explains the steps that we have taken to prevent that crack from reappearing.
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.…
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.
WE NOW HAVE a plan for how to repair the three deteriorated pilaster bases on the exterior of our historic sanctuary’s south wall. (These bases’ condition is described and shown HERE and HERE.)
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| Detail from structural engineer’s drawing: view from above. E = existing element. (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
In January, the board approved a budget for this repair. Last week, our structural engineering consultant provided a plan, in the form of a drawing. I’m now asking vendors to bid on doing it according to that plan.
This post briefly describes our plan — as well as what went wrong that led to the need for this repair.
THIS POST documents the condition of the newly exposed pilaster bases, on the south wall of the sanctuary. I provisionally interpret the findings as evidence of damage due to longstanding water intrusion — but not threatening the stability of the building itself. The structural engineer seems to agree with this assessment, but I believe he is withholding final judgment until he makes an on-site visit.
Here is a map of the south wall, showing which 3 of the 7 pilasters are involved. The labels “1st,” “2nd,” and “3rd” refer to the order in which the structural engineer and I have attended to them, rather than their position on the wall.
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| (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
Below the jump, I recap the uncovering process, and then show a set of photos for each base.…
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.…
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| (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |