Located on Broad Street directly across from City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania stands one of the “great ‘wonders’ of the Masonic world,” The Masonic Temple of Philadelphia. This building is home to numerous Philadelphia lodges, and is the site where the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania holds their meetings. Construction on this national historic landmark began in 1868 and completed in 1873. Originally designed by architect James H. Windrim, the elaborate and ornate Norman architecture makes the Masonic Temple one of the most recognizable buildings in Philadelphia.
After 130 years of intense weather conditions, pieces of the stone structure began to fracture, spall, and become loose, resulting in exposed joints. In an effort to conserve the alluring architecture of the temple, a team of highly skilled craftsmen were brought in to restore the original beauty of the building. The project was led by local Philadelphia architects, TranSystems/DPK & A Architects LLP, and the construction management firm J.J. Deluca Company Inc. of Springfield, Pennsylvania.
Crawford Caulking of Warminster, Pennsylvania was hired to restore the granite and stucco façade of the Masonic Temple. They completed this task by executing full repointing, cleaning, stone & stucco patching, stone pinning, Dutchman crack injection, and caulking. In order to clean the façade, Crawford Caulking was required to use a European technique called the TORC System as opposed to traditional low pressure washing which is commonly used in the United States.
In order to re-caulk the window perimeters of the building, Architect’s specified Pecora 890FTS Field Tintable Silicone sealant. The 890FTS was chosen because of its Non-Staining Technology properties that effectively eliminate the possibility of staining and residue rundown while increasing adhesion and reducing dirt pick-up. This product also features the ability to produce virtually any color in the field through the use of Pecora’s Universal Color Pack system and color matching services. Pecora’s Universal Color Packs allow the use of unique colors and maximize your options without worrying about minimum batches, maintaining inventories of product, and delays due to extended lead times. Crawford Caulking relied upon Pecora to develop a perfect “Masonic gray” match to the window perimeter paint.
To seal and protect the surrounding sidewalks of the Masonic Temple, Pecora’s non-sag, traffic-grade polyurethane sealant, DynaTred was applied. The DynaTred has a designed Shore A Hardness of 40+ and excellent for sealing joints in areas with high pedestrian traffic.
Thanks to the restoration of the historic Masonic Temple, the legacy of the Masons in Philadelphia is sure to live on for many to enjoy for years to come.
