Herbert Henry Dow’s Courthouse: The Case for Synthetic Mortar Pigments
The visionary — and a major funder of the courthouse’s construction — was none other than Herbert Henry Dow, the founder of Dow Chemical and a Midland resident at one point in time… More than 150 local volunteers joined the professionals in restoring the mural.
September 29, 1990. Remembering the Setting of the Final Finial at the National Cathedral
from the first cut of the chisel to this final finial, every stone bears witness to the shared history of stonecutters, carvers, and masons.
From the USA to Beyond: How Cathedral Stone Took Jahn to the World
Dennis Rude recalls Jahn’s “Coming to America” story, Part II: how we ended up taking Jahn back to the world.
Coming to America: How Cathedral Stone Brought Jahn Mortars to the US Restoration Market
I’d used a lot of different repair materials, but I’d never experienced anything anywhere near as good as Jahn Mortar.
The Rose Window at the National Cathedral and the Strike that Helped Us Finish It on Time
I called around and soon learned that the laborers had gone on strike. Well, it was no wonder that the cathedral was a ghost town. Without laborers, you can’t get anything done. You can’t mix cement. You can’t make mortar for setting stone. You can’t build a cathedral. Nothing gets done without labor.
Frank Opperman: The best planerman you’ve never heard of
He was at the shop every morning by 6AM—and he didn’t drive. I’d arrive, and he’d be sitting in the shop, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes—without fail. Except for three weeks a year, Frank never drank. He was sober as a judge for 49 weeks.
The Watts Towers Restoration: An Extraordinary Monument to Human Creativity and Grit in South Central Los Angeles
By the 1970s the Watts Towers had become a cultural heritage site, and later a hybrid state park—with the City of Los Angeles responsible for its maintenance. In the mid 80’s the city began conservation work, but the repairs failed almost as soon as they went up. That’s where I came in.
Rewriting History in Aquia Creek Sandstone at “George Washington’s” Church
As a headquarters, the church’s four entryways were manned by sentries. These young soldiers literally made their mark on Pohick Church, and that’s where we come into the story.