Historic masons revive centuries-old techniques to repair �鶹�ƽ�� iconic structures

University News

Historic masons revive centuries-old techniques to repair �鶹�ƽ�� iconic structures

When University of Virginia masons do their jobs well, no one notices.

Their work blends seamlessly into the University’s historic buildings, preserving brick, stone and plaster so carefully that repairs disappear into the original craftsmanship.

“The historic masons are working with different materials than the modern masons,” Wayne Mays, assistant director for trades at Facilities Management, said. “It’s period materials with these buildings. You want to work with a like-for-like material, such as lime mortars. You don’t use modern materials to repair historic fabric because it can actually cause more damage and harm to the building over time.”

Justin Rivenburgh, Andrew Johnston and Pryce Foyt discussing how to plaster a wall

Historic mason Justin Rivenburgh, left, shows architecture professor Andrew Johnston, center, and Pryce Foyt, a fourth-year architecture student, how to plaster a wall. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

The Tuscan columns lining the Lawn illustrate the problem. In Jefferson’s original design, the columns had hand-made brick cores covered with a limestone render that allowed moisture to escape.

As the University moved into modern times, maintenance procedures changed. When pieces of the limestone render became loose, workers repaired the columns with Portland cement and then painted them. But that trapped moisture and caused more deterioration. In cold weather, the trapped water froze, creating tiny cracks that led to still more problems.

Years ago, �鶹�ƽ�� historic masons reverted to older techniques. They’ve replaced the Portland cement with a lime render, as they are doing this summer on the columns of Pavilion II, which again lets the 200-year-old columns breathe.

The historic masons’ job is to conserve and preserve, rather than raze and replace, Mays said.

The masons are also plasterers, repairing walls and ceilings in the historic buildings with the same traditional methods used when the buildings were constructed, mixing plaster with animal-hair binders, lime and sand and applying three layers to wood lath and masonry walls.

Mays and his crew are also sharing these techniques with the next generation. In the spring, they taught architecture students in associate professor Andrew Johnston’s Field Methods I course about the nature of lime mortar and how it works, how bricks are made and how plastering is an art.

Wayne Mays demonstrates mortar techniques to architecture students

Wayne Mays explains limes and mortars to architecture students in associate professor Andrew Johnston’s Field Methods I course. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

Mays himself started learning the old techniques while working for his uncle.

“We started working on older structures, and my uncle started researching techniques of how to produce building limes. Building limes were not available in the United States,” Mays said. “He built a lime kiln and started burning limestone, probably the first traditional limestone burning in the United States in 100 years. He was instrumental in the revival of building limes in the United States for the preservation and conservation of historic structures.”

The bottom line, according to Mays, is that sometimes the old way is still the best way.