Much of the roofing slate was deteriorated or heavily damaged by the fire, so the decision was made to replace the slate. Some review boards permit faux slate products, but, for a building as significant as Eastern Market, replacement in-kind was required (and desired for its long-term performance). The slate shingles installed at Eastern Market were Del Carmen slate from Spain, a product available in the U.S. from SSQ Group. This product was a good visual match with the historic slate and more affordable and readily available than domestic sources.
As a result of the fire, the iron roof trusses in the South Hall were heavily damaged and compromised—deformed—by the intensity of the heat. To maintain the overall interior appearance of the historic market space, a series of new trusses were designed to closely match the historic truss design. Wrought-iron elements were fabricated in steel, and the compression strut member, originally made of cast iron, was refabricated with cast iron for the new trusses that were installed in between each historic truss that was retained in place. Careful coordination with the iron fabricator was necessary to ensure the new strut members were good matches to the historic strut members being replicated in terms of size, profile and texture. Once painted and installed, the South Hall at Eastern Market was restored to its original grandeur.
No two historic preservation projects are the same, and most projects require a balance between traditional and contemporary materials. When traditional materials are no longer available, careful attention to materials selection is important to ensure the materials planned for use in a project are compatible, appropriate and can be approved by reviewing agencies. A small amount of research and input from preservation professionals can go a long way toward proper specification of products for your next historic building project.
Preservation Materials
Hope’s Steel Windows and Doors: www.hopeswindows.com
TNEMEC: www.tnemec.com
3M’s Prestige-series: www.3m.com/prestigeseries
Jahn system, distributed by Cathedral Stone Products: www.cathedralstone.com
TCS II from Revere Copper Products Inc.: www.reverecopper.com
Del Carmen slate from SSQ Group: www.ssqgroup.com