Pithy Construction News from "Beacon Street West” (FUS) for August 8 - 15, 2007
Next the Auditorium.
A Wing
The changes are obvious, starting at the front door. The Lobby is currently sealed in plastic, but inside plasterers are putting on a thin coat, which will cover all the cracks. They are putting a fiberglass mesh under the plaster to prevent further cracking. Everything that was in the Lobby is now stacked in the Hearth Room. It will take an effort to restore a semblance of order for Sunday.The surprise of the week is the discovery that the steel beams that were installed above the Hearth Room in 1994 are missing some pieces. The beam on the east side of the Hearth Room is missing a bolt. This has allowed a drop in the beam. This could possibly have contributed to the cracks that our roof engineers noted last month. On the west side, a piece of iron is entirely missing. The situation is stable, but we have again called in the structural engineers for guidance. More to come.
The Preservation Committee has chosen paint colors with the help and recommendation of a Preservation Architect. We will duplicate the original color scheme that was revealed by the paint probes. There are six colors, with the darkest in the B Wing entrance, and the lightest in the auditorium. The palette seemed daunting at first, but our consultants from Isthmus Architects say it is consistent with other Wright buildings, progressing from dark to light.
The lights are done in the Loggia, and we are arranging for a lightweight lift to start in on the Auditorium ceiling as soon as we can get the lift. The Loggia gets plastered next week, red floors get poured in A Wing and B Wing steps on this Friday.
B Wing
Rough wiring is complete, and sprinklers are almost done. If the inspection is completed successfully this Thursday or Friday, we are looking forward to the walls and ceilings going in beginning next week.- David Weber
