Work on the veranda could not begin until the tiny 3/4" brown ceramic floor tiles were salvaged (removed and saved to be put back later), the concrete sill cap was taken off and saved, and the golden Roman face-brick was removed for safe-keeping to be re-installed later. In this photo, workers are removing the veranda coping after the floor tiles had been lifted.
Salvaging historic materials is essential in restorations of this scale and importance. Workers were especially careful in removing large sections of concrete, such as the veranda sill cap, so that they could put these authentic materials back in place after work on the slab was completed.
After carefully salvaging Roman brick from the face of the Martin House veranda, workers catalogued each brick for later replacement.
Care and caution are particularly critical when heavy equipment works around the historic site. This photo shows the first preparations made for perimeter foundation excavation prior to re-pointing and damp-proofing the foundation walls and providing new perimeter drainage.
Architects, Jamie Robideau and Mike O'Hara, from Hamilton Houston Lownie, LLC, Martin House restoration architects, use excavation as an "archaeological dig" to give them the information they need to determine how the site was actually constructed 100 years ago.
One of the original Wright-designed urns (planters) lay neglected at the rear of the Martin House. It was cleaned and relocated as work on the site progressed. The other urns still standing at the front of the house were surrounded by plywood to protect them during construction.
Though it may appear that "the walls are a-tumblin' down," the historic Roman brick that Wright specified for the Martin House Complex was removed from the veranda with utmost care for reinstallation after the concrete slab veranda floor is replaced.
Jack Quinan, Martin House Curator (at left) and David Bayne, furniture conservator inspect a segment of some Frank Lloyd Wright-designed furniture at the furniture conservation lab at the Peeble's Island Resource Center in Waterford, NY (New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation).
As part of the search for brick to match what Wright specified for the Martin House Complex, this mock-up wall was constructed just to the west of the Barton House by U.S. Heritage Group of Chicago. The mini-wall is built of construction brick with slim, new gold-colored bricks that match the Martin House quite closely. The purpose of the mock-up is to test the performance of the brick over time and evaluate its suitability for the Martin House restoration.