Terra Cotta

Terra cotta is a building material used more in the past. As with all structures if there is no ongoing maintenance, problems and deterioration will occur. On this job located at 4538 N. Magnolia, Chicago, the building had been neglected. Water entered the building and damaged the terra cotta units above the windows. Deteriorated pieces were removed and new simulated pieces called G.F.R.C. (glass fiber reinforced concrete) were replicated to match the original units and installed to replace the original terra cotta. All work was done from hanging scaffolding by individual piece. Each piece was re-anchored into the interior masonry.

Because of budget constraints, work was only completed on the extremely deteriorated areas. The next phase will be in the near future. The work was enough to enhance the front of the building and correct any serious safety problems. Project took only five months to complete with all fabrication and installation.