The Development of Treatment Protocols at the Watts Towers
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Article: The Development of Treatment Protocols at the Watts Towers Article:Author(s): Conservation Project Article:Author(s):Source: Objects Frank Specialty Preusser, Group Blanka Postprints, Kielb, Sylvia Volume Schweri-Dorsch, Twenty-One, Christina 2014 Fisher, Source:Author(s):Pages: Objects Mariana Specialty Ruiz, IsraelGroup Campos Postprints, Volume Twenty-One, 2014 Pages:Source:Editor: Suzanne Objects SpecialtyDavis, with Group Kari Postprints,Dodson and Volume Emily Twenty-One,Hamilton 2014 Pages:Editor:ISSN (print 345-362Suzanne version) Davis, 2169-379X with Kari Dodson and Emily Hamilton ISSNEditor: (print(online Suzanne version) version) Davis, 2169-379X 2169-1290 with Kari Dodson and Emily Hamilton ISSN© 2014 (online(print by The version) version) American 2169-379X 2169-1290 Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, ©ISSN1156 2014 15(online byth Street The version) American NW, Suite2169-1290 Institute 320, Washi for Conservangton, DCtion 20005. of Historic (202) 452-9545& Artistic Works, 1156©www.conservation-us.org 20 1415 thby Street The American NW, Suite Institute 320, Washi for Conservangton, DCtion 20005. of Historic (202) 452-9545& Artistic Works, 1156www.conservation-us.org 15th Street NW, Suite 320, Washington, DC 20005. (202) 452-9545 www.conservation-us.orgObjects Specialty Group Postprints is published annually by the Objects Specialty Group Objects(OSG) of Specialty the American Group Institute Postprints for isC onservationpublished annually of Historic by the & ArtistObjectics WorksSpecialty (AIC). Group It is a (OSG)Objectsconference of Specialty the proceedings American Group Institutevolume Postprints consistingfor isC onservationpublishe of papersd annually of presentedHistoric by the & in ArtistObject the OSGics WorksSpecialty sessions (AIC). Group at AIC It is a conference(OSG)Annual of Meetings the proceedings American. Institutevolume consistingfor Conservation of papers of presentedHistoric & in Artist the OSGic Works sessions (AIC). at AIC It is a Aconferencennual Meetings proceedings. volume consisting of papers presented in the OSG sessions at AIC AUndernnual a Meetings licensing. agreement, individual authors retain copyright to their work and extend Underpublications a licensing rights agreement, to the American individual Institute author fors Conservation.retain copyright to their work and extend publicationsUnder a licensing rights agreement, to the American individual Institute author fors Conservation.retain copyright to their work and extend publications rights to the American Institute for Conservation. This paper is published in the Objects Specialty Group Postprints, Volume Twenty-One, 2014. ThisIt has paper been isedited published for clarity in the and Objects content. Specialty The paper Group was Postprints, peer-reviewed Volume by twoTwenty-One, content area 2014 . ItThisspecialists has paper been andisedited published was for revised clarity in the based and Objects content. on these Specialty The anonymous paper Group was reviews.Postprints, peer-reviewed Responsibility Volume by twoTwenty-One, forcontent the methods area 2014 . specialistsItand has materials been andedited presented was for revised clarity herein, based and however, content. on these Therests anonymous paper solely was with reviews. peer-reviewed the author(s), Responsibility by whose two forcontentarticle the methodsshould area andspecialistsnot bematerials considered and presented was an revised official herein, based statement however, on these of reststhe anonymous OSG solely or with the reviews. AIC. the author(s), Responsibility whose forarticle the methodsshould notand bematerials considered presented an official herein, statement however, of reststhe OSG solely or withthe AIC. the author(s), whose article should not be considered an official statement of the OSG or the AIC. THE DEVELOPMENT OF TREATMENT PROTOCOLS AT THE WATTS TOWERS CONSERVATION PROJECT FRANK PREUSSER, BLANKA KIELB, SYLVIA SCHWERI-DORSCH, CHRISTINA FISHER, MARIANA RUIZ, ISRAEL CAMPOS ABSTRACT This article provides a review of current and past conservation practices and the development of new treatment proposals for the Watts Towers. The Italian immigrant Sabato (Simon) Rodia built the Watts Towers in the backyard of his house. They consist of 17 interconnected structures, each constructed of a steel core covered with cement stucco and embedded decorative elements. The two largest structures reach a height of 99.5 ft. (30 m). Rodia built the Towers from 1921 to 1954. He did so without assistance and without scaffolding. The Towers are located in the Watts district of Los Angeles County. A team of conservators, scientists, and research assistants from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has been working on the review of current and past conservation practices, and the development of new treatment proposals for the Watts Towers since January 2011. After reorganizing and rehousing the extensive treatment archives, the first comprehensive environmental and physical monitoring program in the history of the Towers was established. This program was further expanded when, in 2013, a team from the UCLA Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering joined the effort of Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This monitoring and measurement program resulted in a significantly improved understanding of the response of the Towers and their individual elements to a variety of environmental stresses, including solar radiation (heat), vibration and deformation due to wind and seismic activities, and corrosion of the metal substrate. It also provided an explanation for the repeated failures of many of the repairs carried out over the past 50 years. Based on these findings, we are evaluating improved repair and maintenance procedures that promise to be of greater durability, using the recent advances made in building science and the concrete industry. To date, materials that have undergone laboratory and outdoor exposure testing, and that are now applied to the monument on a limited test scale, include elastomeric crack fillers, polymer amended mortars, architectural adhesives, and penetrating water repellents. Currently we are also evaluating different approaches to corrosion protection, including migrating corrosion inhibitors and embedded sacrificial anodes. 1. INTRODUCTION The Watts Towers (fig. 1) were built by the Italian Immigrant Sabato (Simon) Rodia in the backyard of his house in the years from 1921 to 1954. They consist of 17 interconnected structures, with the tallest reaching a height of 99.5 ft (30 m). They are owned by the State of California and are currently administered and operated by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Los Angeles. They are located in the Watts district of Los Angeles County. On December 10, 2010, the City of Los Angeles and the Museum Associates (dba LACMA) signed a Professional Services Agreement for preservation and conservation services. Under this agreement LACMA’s Conservation Center was to • Assess the City’s existing conservation and preservation plan for the Watts Towers as embodied primarily in the Preservation Plan and Maintenance and Restoration Guide, prepared for the State of California by The Ehrenkrantz Group in 1983, and the Evaluation and Conservation of Fissures Report and Documentation Synthesis and Materials Research Report, prepared by the Architectural Resources Group (ARG) in 2004 and 2006, respectively; AIC Objects Specialty Group Postprints, Vol. 21, 2014 345 346 Fig. 1. Watts Towers, Sabato (Simon) Rodia, steel, cement, and embedded ornament, 30 m, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs; view from the North side (Courtesy of Frank Preusser) • Conduct periodic inspections and undertake minor repairs and restoration; • Conduct tests to evaluate new materials and techniques for the repair of cracks and spalls and for the adhesion of loose or detached decorative elements. Recurring cracking of the concrete shell and ongoing losses of decorative ornaments are the most visible signs of the deterioration of the Towers. This has been going on since the beginning, and it has been reported that Simon Rodia himself carried out repairs while he was still constructing the Towers. Since he abandoned the Towers in 1954, there have been numerous repair campaigns (1960–1969, 1979–1985, 1987–1994, 1995–2001, and 2001–2005). During these campaigns a variety of mortar formulations and synthetic resins were used, and large sections of the steel supports were replaced. Unfortunately, the cracks reappeared in many of the repaired areas after relatively short periods of time and the loss of decorative ornaments continued. Close inspection of the Towers reveals that most repairs are “repairs of repairs.” In 2005, N. J. Bud Goldstone lamented that “In each (repair sic) period there have been cracks and new cracks in original Rodia cement and in repairs of every material used to date” and “All else is failing” (Goldstone 2005). Before considering any alternative to the repair materials and techniques used in the past, it proved necessary to first determine the causes of the deterioration of the monument and the reasons underlying the failures of past interventions. 2. CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE AND MATERIALS Simon (Sabato) Rodia constructed the Towers from 1921 to 1954, when he abruptly abandoned them and moved to Northern California. He built them without a scaffold and had no assistants. He had no design drawings and frequently changed design elements. The Towers