December 2, 2021

It's been a very busy week at the theater. We've met with the terrazzo installers, North American Terrazzo, and given approval for the custom aggregate mix they made up for us based on the original. Our wall tile choice is finalized. We've received a color sample from Architectural Castings for the new quoins. VERY exciting!

I've also been working on a water issue that needs to be solved before we build new walls. We've had water infiltration issues for years in the corner of the theater behind the Hollywood blade sign. Now that we've taken down the 1965 walls we can see that there's water getting in between the surface mounted terracotta and the concrete walls to which it's attached. The big question is, where?

The inimitable Bruce Lee once said of water "Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it." and boy does it. So this week we had Pioneer Waterproofing out to do some water testing. That means spraying water at the building starting from the bottom and working up with the help of a big lift. Then we wait and see where it runs down. We're zeroing in on the issue and now it's time to get the roofers involved.

A lift and a hose and a very well timed sunny day.

The intersection of the blade sign support and the terracotta tile roof. It's my suspected culprit at the moment. Lots of patching of various kinds over the years, none of which have apparently worked very well...

If there's a lift on site, at some point I'm probably on it. I can never resist taking close up pictures of the terracotta.

November 22, 2021

Newly installed pendant lights restore a glow to the lower façade. I'm struck by how much the lighting changes the character of the front entry, especially when seen as you drive up Sandy Blvd. It provides a grandeur that I didn't even realize was missing and now seems so obvious. Check it out next time you're approaching the theater.

November 11, 2021

Some days, taking care of an historic building is frustrating, tiring and a little overwhelming when you look at your to-do list. Other days are just pure joy when you discover details thought lost and now found.

Original terrazzo that's been encased behind a wall for the last fifty-six years. We've been working off black and white photos until now so this is a major find for our planned color palette in the new terrazzo.

My first thought was, damn, that's colorful! Immediately following that, look UP Virginia! Of course it is.

Part of our design was to create new bas reliefs to replace what had been removed. Imagine our jaw-on-the-ground surprise when we realized they hadn't been! Three original bas reliefs in great condition are now on display above the doors and will be incorporated into our final design.

It always makes my heart a little happy to look upon an architectural detail and think about the craftspeople involved in it's creation. Someone's hands carefully created that piece and anchored it snuggly in place and it's lasted ninety-five years. For the Hollywood, I also think of the many who walked under it to share in the community of movie going. The theater wasn't named after the neighborhood after all, the neighborhood was named after the theater.

November 10, 2021

Things are busy at the theater this morning!

November 4, 2021

There's plywood on the front walls and there's a lot more to come! The plywood that you see on the exterior of the theater today is covering areas where we did some investigative demolition. We needed to see and measure some openings in the VERY thick, poured in place, concrete walls. These were the sites of the original display case on the north side and a door into the manager's office or cloak room on the west wide. As part of our lower facade project we will be reinstalling display cases on both sides. This will return an element of symmetry to the overall design.

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