The Baldwin Water Treatment Plant, part of the Cleveland Division of Water, is located in the University Circle and Fairfax neighborhood. The building was originally constructed in 1925, and the existing railing system needed to be completely reconstructed to match the existing balusters’ color, profile, and size.
This project presented several difficulties, including the age of the existing stone, the weight of the stones to be installed, which ranged from 60 to 350 pounds, and the challenge of matching the design of the balusters. These challenges required the innovation and experience of our team.
We had balusters pre-fabricated by Cleveland Quarries in Vermillion, Ohio, to match the existing color, profile, and size. The team’s knowledge and experience in the trade led them to successfully deconstruct the existing railing system without damaging any existing stone.
The team worked together to successfully install the stones. Their experience in the trade enabled them to pre-drill and fabricate the stones to reconstruct the railing to look as it did before. Together, the CBR team’s ability to understand and visualize how the railing system needed to be installed led to a well-orchestrated reinstallation that was planned, very methodical, and highly accurate. This project also involved tuckpointing the joints to match the existing joints.
Safety was paramount on this project: The crew performed daily safety checklists, including stretching, to ensure that no injuries occurred when moving the stone. The team also built scaffolds with the necessary rails to prevent the opportunity for any fall hazard.
The client was satisfied and pleased that the profiles of the new stone balusters matched so well to the existing.