Wednesday, November 09, 20166:30 PM – 8:30 PM50 Mass Ave NE, Washington DC West Plaza
Please join The Christman Company for a tour of the ongoing restoration work on the rostral columns and balustrades at Union Station, including the opportunity to see disassembly of the cast iron columns. The second set of columns and lampposts will be removed from site on November 9th and returned later this year. Off-site restoration will include the abatement of existing coatings, cast iron repairs, re-casting of broken elements and the application of high performance coatings. The tour will also highlight masonry cleaning and restoration of the Vermont white granite balustrades. Masonry work includes general cleaning, graffiti removal pinning of the balusters, removal of embedded fasteners, patching and crack repair.
Soon after the completion of Washington Union Station in 1908, a plaza was added at the front of the building. Columbus Plaza was designed to include two gateways consisting a pair of rostral columns and lampposts mounted on granite balustrades. The area between the columns was originally open to traffic, but was converted to be sidewalk by 1985. Columbus Plaza was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The tour will begin at the West Plaza, located in front of the Union Station Metro Station at 6:30pm, and will be led by representatives from Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, Aeon Preservation Services, and The Christman Company. Registration is not required, but please arrive a few minutes before 6:30 to ensure you don’t miss the tour departure.
