Before and After Photos
This classic brick building with high, arched windows was originally constructed in 1902 as a transformer house for the Snoqualmie Falls Power Company. The University of Washington acquired it in the 1990's for the core of its new Tacoma campus, when an addition was built and the original space was renovated and re-purposed as the University’s library.
The deteriorated original sheet metal cornice and column capitals for this library building were replaced with molded polymer-modified gypsum (PGRG) components with applied finish coatings.
Additional Photos
A mock-up was assembled in our shop to confirm the installation approach and the part-to-part fit to insure a smooth on-site installation over a tube steel framing system that was provided by the general contractor.
The PGRG material system that we employed for this cornice was a relatively new composite product at that time, and both the University and their Architect were concerned about the ultimate durability of this product. It received a very thorough inspection and reapplication of its finish coatings after 10 years in service, and in the 10 additional years since we've provided replacements for large decorative sheet metal cornices on 4 other historic buildings on the campus.
