Impressions of the James Castle Shed and Trailer
Born in 1899 in Garden Valley, Idaho, artist James Castle gained worldwide renown, with his works in the collections of institutions such as the Smithsonian Institute and the Whitney Museum. A major figure in American folk art, he was also deaf, communicating primarily through his art, which relied on humble materials such as soot, spit, […]
Rope Swings – Rope Access Reduces Inspection and Repair Costs
Maintaining commercial buildings, especially older ones, can be full of surprises. Frequently, the focus is on interiors: lighting, air quality, access, and so on. It’s the exterior that is sometimes forgotten about and as a result can develop conditions that take us off guard. Falling hazards due to loose façade material are unfortunately more common […]
Cambodia – A Conservator’s Dream Come True
Upon landing in Hong Kong on our way to Cambodia, I checked my email. Waiting for me was a message from the Cambodian Visa Department. My heart sunk; what could be wrong? I was sure my papers were in order and we were all set for our visit to Siem Reap. I opened the message […]
San Francisco Façade Inspection Ordinance
It was almost 25 years ago when a client called us and asked if we could stop by their building in downtown San Francisco—they had something to show us. When we arrived, the building engineer brought out a large piece of terra cotta masonry that was found on the sidewalk over the weekend. It matched […]
A Stabilized Relic
The de la Montanya Monument was constructed in 1909 to house the remains of the prominent de la Montanya family. Unfortunately, the family dispersed, and the descendants did not have the ability to maintain their ancestors’ resting place. It should come as no surprise that the cost of restoring a deteriorated masonry building can prove […]
The Best Balcony: San Francisco Elks Lodge #3 Restores a Historic Treasure
A little-known fact: San Francisco Lodge No.3 is the longest continuous running lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE). The BPOE was founded in New York City in 1868, and the San Francisco Lodge No. 3 came into being five years later. Since 1925, the city’s Elks have been meeting at 450 […]
A Yankee Visits Charleston
When I attended the Association for Preservation Technology International (APT) conference last fall in Charleston, South Carolina, I was amazed by the city’s historic architecture. Charleston is renowned for gracious homes and its place at the vanguard of the historic preservation movement, but I was still taken aback by the sheer number of historic buildings, […]
Graffiti and Street Art in San Francisco
On January 18, ARG/CS Principal David Wessel will speak at Zero Graffiti International, a three-day conference to address the causes, effects, and prevention of vandalism in communities. This year’s conference takes place in our very own San Francisco, where city agencies spend somewhere around twenty million dollars a year combating graffiti on buildings, buses, and […]
Building Owners, Watch for Hidden Costs Under the Sidewalk
In 2007, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors made a little change to the city’s public works code that has been affecting our clients who own downtown buildings. Many of these buildings were constructed with small spaces extending beneath the sidewalk. These spaces may be handy to have for storage or other uses, but they […]
Seeing Beneath the Skin
In the 1960s, among the products advertised in the backs of comic books—“Live Sea monkeys!” and “Trick Black Soap”—were “X-Ray Specs.” For only one dollar, these glasses supposedly let you look through your hand to see the bones, or perhaps under the clothes of your friends. Whether the glasses worked or not, none of us at […]