Project Overview

This multi-leveled building was originally built in 1928-29 with additions completed in 1958 is the community high school for Dixon, IL and the surrounding area. It is located on the shores of the rock river and is a steel structure with a brick and stone exterior. The exterior is made up of a tan/beige brick blend around both cast stone and limestone pieces.

Approach

The scope consisted of removing all windows from the main four story portion of the building, which houses most of the school’s classrooms, exposing the metal lintels at the window heads and removing the brick/stone sills. With the assistance of INSPEC, the metal lintels were either repaired or replaced, new flashing was installed, and the brick/stone masonry was replaced. The brick/stone sills also received new flashing before the sill was rebuilt. Once the window openings where repaired, the school district installed new windows at all locations. In addition to the work at the windows, Berglund also replaced all cast stone pieces at the main 4 story portion of the building as well as select pieces from both the auditorium and gymnasium. Each differing stone size was measured, and the locations of the different sizes were documented so the new pieces were installed in the correct location. Overall, we identified close to 150 different pieces of stone and will replace over 1,500 pieces across the building, all cast stone pieces were made using the dry cast method which has a fast manufacturing time then the wet cast method.

Along with the work at the windows and the cast stone pieces, Berglund also rebuilt the parapet walls of the 1928-29 building which consisted of two-wythe and three-wythe masonry, we removed and reused the coping stones and installed new through wall flashing underneath the copings. We also contracted with Bennett & Brosseau Roofing to perform roof parapet flashing repairs at the locations were the parapet was rebuilt, repair or replace damaged or missing copper gutters and downspouts and replace select broken clay tile roof shingles. All though most of the masonry work was done during the summer break for the students, due to the duration of the job and the project schedule set by the Schools CM, Berglund worked on the building during the school year while the students were in class. We worked nights, weekends and on portions of the school that do not house classrooms so the school’s day to day operations were not disturbed due to our work. All this work was performed from a pipe scaffold system with a few select areas being accessed by a swing stage.