This façade project has a great deal of positive examples. We had a typical slip cover on this façade that had to go! It is always a bit anxious when you don’t know what is left behind a slip cover. I have seen many decorative eyebrows and stone work destroyed as the slip cover is attached. This sample façade resulted in pretty much what we expected. We could see the upper windows from the inside, so we were confident they could be brought back. The big unknown was the leaded glass transom windows. Fortunately, all of the front side original glass was behind the slip cover. It was rough in places, but fully repairable. As the historical photo shows, the side alley glass had been covered up for a long time. It was no longer there. As luck would have it, along with the magic of being the center of attention, a neighbor building owner noticed what we were doing and heard that our side window was missing.

He quickly took a look in his collection of old architectural salvage. Lucky once again, he had the missing leaded glass window!

So this story is a great lesson in how to properly go about investigating your façade. We started with a historical photograph which helped us to determine what we had and what we can do to bring back the old architecture. It also gave us high confidence in removing the slip cover. Being careful as we removed the slip cover reduced further damage to what ended up being the old leaded glass.

Lastly, spreading word on what is needed resulted in a wonderful find! The side glass detail may be a minor item in the big picture, but it’s these kinds of items that fully complete a historic project. I encourage you all to work this system as you make your improvements.