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Mr. John Oxion Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend & St. Joseph County Re: Oliver Chilled Plow Works Buildings 46 and 47 - Forge 2 March 20, 2002 Page 4 The supported portion of the I" floor slab was found to be in good condition structurally. This study has assumed the basement would be used for storage and that a new elevator system will-be installed to access it. The remainder of the basement will essentially have to be gutted back to the concrete structure as shown in Photos 19 and 20. Building 47 - Roof and Structural Framing The eastern half of the roof of Building 47 can be seen in Photo 21. Water sheds from the roof of the clearstory and collects in a depression at the base of the sloped roof behind the masonry parapet. The water was then originally intended to be collected into a series of internal drains spaced along the perimeter of the east and west walls. An overall view inside the building showing the roof structure is shown in Photo 22. Drains located along the perimeter walls tended to clog and freeze. The drainage system has failed and allowed water, snow and ice to lay in the low points of the roof. Over time not only the roof membrane, but also the wood decking and roof joists have severely deteriorated as shown in Photos 23 through 26. Gaping holes are visible in several areas. To estimate repair costs, we have assumed approximately 1/3 of the sloped roof decking and 1/4 of the 3 x 12 wood joists will have to be replaced. This study assumes new rigid insulation and a fully adhered EPDM roof membrane will then be installed throughout the entire roof including the clearstory. The remainder of the steel and wood structural framing is in reasonably good condition and only spot repairs will be necessary. We understand there is some concern over whether the concrete slab on grade can support some of the equipment that would be displayed in this building. Without knowing the weight of the equipment, we cannot accurately determine whether the existing slab will be sufficient to carry the load. Thickening the slab to form a pedestal for the heaviest equipment may be an economical solution if in fact this does become a problem. Building 46 and 47 - Exterior Masonry and Windows/Doors Most of the monolithic brick masonry walls making up the exterior of the two buildings are well worn but stable. There are only two isolated areas where masonry appears to be bulging outward and potentially be in danger of falling. These areas can easily be removed, the brick salvaged and cleaned, and the masonry walls reconstructed. The remaining deterioration is typical of masonry of this age in an industrial environment. The condition of the mortar joints varies, typically with the amount of water which is available to saturate it. Photo 27 shows a comparison of one location where the mortar is in reasonably good condition to another where it has eroded away to a sand -like consistency within a few feet of each other. The heaviest erosion occurs beneath leaks in the roof /gutter system. In general, the west elevation which receives the brunt of wind driven rain appears to have deteriorated the most severely as shown in Photo 28. Areas like that shown in Photo 29 occur throughout both buildings. In these areas both the brick and mortar appear to have eroded. Previous repairs /maintenance to the. masonry have been limited. Spot tuckpointing and brick replacement were observed in a few locations. Photo 30 shows such repairs were typically sloppy and mortar was simply used to butter eroded joints while soft, punky mortar was