Paul Martin Building resoration project on schedule

The restoration of the heritage facade of the Paul Martin Building is one step closer to completion.

Atif Suhail, project manager with Public Works and Government Services Canada said the $2.9-million job, which started in May, is on schedule to be completed by the end of the year.

Suhail said the project has presented challenges along the way — perhaps the biggest was just trying to get the work finished on the 1930 historic building at 185 Ouellette Avenue before the weather turns cold.

The project is being done by Colonial Building Restoration of Scarborough and involves the rehabilitation of the Tyndall limestone facade and replacement of deteriorated structural systems on Chatham Street, Ouellette Avenue and Pitt Street West. Scaffolding has remained in place surrounding the building’s perimeter to protect pedestrians from pieces falling off the limestone facade.

Jeremy Link, senior communications advisor for Public Works and Government Services Canada, discusses the facade work being done on the historic Paul Martin Building in downtown Windsor, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016.

On Saturday, Suhail along with Jeremy Link, senior communications advisor with Public Works and Government Services Canada, led a tour of the facade rehabilitation project. The tour started with a hike up to the sixth floor of the building using the scaffolding placed around the building.

At the roof level of the facade, Suhail explained stone from the facade was removed and inspected for water damage. He said back in 1930s construction didn’t account for appropriate water protection so the stones are being lifted and protective membranes are being placed underneath to prevent further problems.

“Each of the stones weighs anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 pounds so it’s a painstaking and delicate work for the contractor,” he said. “They have to carefully pry the stone away from where it was for 80 years taking care not to crack it, set it down, check what’s going on behind it and put it back in a secure way.”

Suhail said water damage is a huge issue in most restoration projects especially because of climates which can cause deterioration of concrete to accelerate. He said once the stones were lifted they were pleased to see the damage wasn’t as severe as suspected.

“The challenges have been rather limited and it’s been mostly trying to get the work done in a limited time,” he said. “The job has been going really well. We haven’t had any real significant issues.”

The historic Paul Martin Building in downtown Windsor, with the south side’s facade recently finished, is pictured Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016.

Further down the building, spots in the facade are being fixed using different types of masonry techniques. They are using the dutchman technique where a square of damaged limestone is cut out and replaced with a new piece. Aesthetic repairs are done around it to make it appear seamless. The other technique is described as Jahn, which is used when the stone section is really small and a cut out isn’t needed. An artist creates a creative, seamless impression to go in it.

“This is a heritage designated building and we want to do a minimal intervention to maintain the heritage characterization. That’s why we continue to use the same stone,” he said. “So pretty much if it’s not broken, we don’t fix it. We are doing preservation wherever we can.”

As the project wraps up, Suhail is pleased with the progress. And, along the way he’s found out some cool things about the exterior of the historic Paul Martin Building.

“One of the unique things about the Tyndall limestone is when you get up close and personal with it you see it has fossil structures,” he said. “You’ll see unique fossil identifications in this stone which is very unique and impossible to find elsewhere. It’s one of the items that gives it that heritage designation.”

ksteele@postmedia.com

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Atif Suhail, project manager for Public Works and Government Services Canada, explains the jahn masonry repair done on the facade of the historic Paul Martin Building in downtown Windsor, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016.

Atif Suhail, project manager for Public Works and Government Services Canada, talks about a discovered fossil on the exterior facade of the historic Paul Martin Building in downtown Windsor, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016.