ARCHITECTURAL SYSTEMS AND EVALUATION

FLOOR SYSTEM DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION

Church Basement Flooring:

The church basement is primarily an unfinished access space which houses mechanical equipment. The two north rooms directly accessible from the stairs to the basement, have concrete slab flooring. The slabs appear sound and are not painted or finished. They are appropriate for their intended use. The remaining areas consist of earth/sand covered with plastic. The plastic assists in controlling moisture. In general the floor was found to be sound, stable and dry. Given its use and function, the unfinished floor is reasonable as a floor surface. An area on the west end has been excavated. It has been noted that this was the result of some past storm/sanitary pipe repairs as well as past and continued water infiltration from the walls. It is noted that the Owner is presently pursuing remedies for this water infiltration. Upon resolution of the water infiltration issues, this area should be backfilled.

Temple House Basement Flooring:

The flooring of the lower level of the Temple House is primarily a concrete slab with a wood finish floor. It has been noted that over the past year or so there has been moisture infiltration into the dining room. This has caused cupping and movement in the wood flooring. The floor surface is uneven due to this damage on over three quarters of the Dining Room floor surface. The cause of the moisture infiltration is presently not determined, although recent adjacent construction is thought to be a possible contributing cause. The damage to the floor is beyond repair and will need to be replaced after the moisture infiltration is determined and resolved.

Other rooms in the Basement with wood flooring are covered with finish materials such as sheet vinyl. Many of these finishes are older and are worn and are in need of replacement in the coming years. Please refer to individual room by room evaluations and assessments.

Public corridor areas and stairs have a terrazzo topping over the concrete slab. There are a few cracks noted in the terrazzo topping. These are probably due to shrinkage cracking in the concrete slab below which have translated to the terrazzo topping above. We note no vertical unevenness in the terrazzo topping which might indicate settlement issues. We would recommend that there be no repairs made to the cracks as we believe that repair might ultimately look worse that the original crack.

Upper Level Flooring Church and Temple House:

Finish materials cover most of the flooring in both the Temple House and the Church structures. In general the floors appear sound and stable with no noted concerns regarding the structural stability other than areas identified as part of the termite repair / restoration areas.

A few rooms noted in the room by room evaluation indicate that the flooring materials are newer and are probably serviceable for many more years. However, many rooms have finish flooring materials that appear worn or dated that are recommended for replacement to give an upgraded image as well as to provide a viable and useful floor surface.

Much of the flooring in rooms of the Temple House appears to be wood strip flooring. Over the years many rooms have been carpeted and functionally probably want to remain carpeted. However, from a pure restoration perspective, some or all of these rooms could be stripped of the carpet and provided with refinished wood floors if desired. We offer this as an option, but will continue to recommend leaving carpet in most rooms already carpeted.

Typically rooms with exposed wood strip floors are scratched and worn and should be stripped, sanded and refinished. This includes the Fellowship Hall where carpeting has been removed from the perimeter wood flooring areas and the surrounding stairs. Wood floors near dripping steam radiators have been water damaged and will require replacement of boards.

Most of the public corridor areas and stairs in the Temple House have a terrazzo floor surface. There are a few cracks noted in the terrazzo floor surface. We again find no concerns associated with the soundness or structural stability of the floors and would recommend taking no action on the repair of these floors. Many of the terrazzo floor areas exhibit a darkening at the floor edges and on the terrazzo base, which appears to be a build up of dirt and floor waxes over the years, which is probably not easily cleaned by some floor cleaning equipment. We would recommend the cleaning of these edges for a better presentation of the facilities.

We note several areas within the terrazzo floors which have old deteriorating inset material which appears to be linoleum. These inset areas should be replaced with new materials. New infill materials could include terrazzo tiles, thinset terrazzo or another type of tile.

In general we would recommend upgrading/refinishing floor finishes in highly used rooms such as the Fellowship Hall and Parlor.

Please refer to the room by room evaluation for more specific evaluation for each room.

FLOORING CONSTRAINTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

There are four main building levels throughout the facilities. However within each floor many rooms and spaces are up or down a few stairs, or spaces are connected by ramped surfaces. Structural limitations and cost restrict the placement of all rooms and spaces on the same level. Space limitations restrict the addition of ramps, as ramps are required to have 1 foot of run for every 1 inch of rise. ( Example: a 2 foot rise in elevation would require a ramp length of 24 feet plus landings at each end ). Making the building completely barrier free will not be possible.

Upgrading floor finishes will enhance the presentation of the spaces as they are basically old and worn. It is recommended that floor finish upgrades are initiated in the most public spaces first.

WALL SYSTEM DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION

Church Basement Walls:

The interior surfaces of the church basement walls are primarily stone masonry. A few small areas of brick masonry are noted in the south west corner. Stone is in good condition and walls appear solid. Mortar joints have been found to be soft and crumbling in many areas. These walls should be tuckpointed by raking out soft mortar and pointing/installing with new mortar.

Interior walls are brick masonry and appear solid except for openings that have been cut for mechanical piping or duct work. The structural section of this report address these openings.

Walls in Church and Temple House :

Most interior walls in both the existing Church structure as well as the Temple House structure are finished with plaster. It appears that the plaster is directly adhered to the masonry walls for exterior wall applications and applied over metal or wood lath on masonry or wood substructure on interior walls.

In general we found the plaster to be well adhered to its substrate. Isolated areas through out the building will require repair to damaged areas of plaster. Conditions that we noted include: deteriorated plaster resulting from moisture or water infiltration, surface pitting of plaster and random cracks in the plaster. We found that areas of surface pitting generally occur in back areas or rooms that are infrequently used and may have been overlooked from a maintenance perspective. These areas have been identified in the room evaluations.

Wood wainscoting is found in many of the rooms and corridors. Physically the wainscoting is good condition. However the surfaces in most of the areas are worn and faded. Additionally in high traffic areas the wood surfaces are found to be dinged, nicked and scratched. In these areas we would recommend refinishing the damaged or faded surfaces. We have identified particularly distressed areas in our room evaluations. Our estimated cost for repair of the wood wainscot anticipates repair and restoration without a complete removal and stripping of the wood components. For the most part, we feel that with care these areas can be touched up and refinished in place. It is not the intent of recommendations for the restoration process to make everything "perfectly new" . Some of the character flaws ( its wear through the years) can acknowledge the history of the space.

Under the Architectural Systems Cost summary spread sheet we have included a cost above and beyond that identified for repairs and refinishing for individual work to cover cost of general touch up and refinishing through out the building.

In general, the paint in most rooms throughout the building was found to be older, somewhat dingy and dirty and worn. Many rooms were also found to have areas of peeling paint. Rooms that require repair to walls surfaces as a result of deterioration or peeling paint, or are noted to be particularly worn, have been identified to be repainted in the individual room evaluations. In the Architectural Systems Cost Summary we have also identified a cost for other interior wall painting.

Most painted surfaces are noted to have had a number of coats of paint over the years. Due to the age of the existing building it may be advisable to employ an environmental consultant to determine the presence of lead based paints when modifications are anticipated for these areas.

Consideration may want to be given to more a more decorative painting scheme in more public spaces or highly used rooms. Many of these spaces have decorative wall features such as coves or trim elements that could easily support multiple colors of paint that may reflect a more historical painting scheme. At the appropriate time during the implementation phase of future projects, it is recommended that historical photographs of the building be reviewed for hints of historical color schemes for painting interior walls surfaces.

WALL CONSTRAINTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Most of the interior walls are not load bearing which allow for the opportunity for future modifications to rooms or spaces. This however comes with a limitation as to being in code compliance. Significant modifications will require further mandatory code compliance. Caution and research should be taken before making plan modifications and adjusting wall locations.


CEILING SYSTEM DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION

Ceilings in Church and Temple House :

The Church basement ceiling structure is primarily exposed wood structure. Other than termite damage, this ceiling surfaces is adequate and functional as is.

Most of the interior ceiling surfaces of both the Church structure as well as the Temple House are plaster. It appears that this plaster is part of the original building construction. From investigation it appears that the plaster was adhered to wood lath. Plaster in general is well adhered to the lath and appears sound. Isolated areas of existing plaster ceilings have been found to be damaged due to water infiltration.

Small cracks in the plaster ceiling are also noted. This type of cracking is typical in buildings of this age. Cracks can be patched and repaired or for a persistent crack at a building stress point, consideration should be given to cutting in a control joint to control cracking.

Many rooms, such as classrooms, are noted to have suspended lay-in ceilings. These ceiling systems are not recently installed and in many cases ceiling tiles are sagging and water damaged ( primarily from steam pipes). Often these suspended ceilings block the upper portion of the exterior window. Examination of the space above several of these suspended ceilings indicate that the original plaster ceiling is still in place. Through the years the original plaster ceiling has shown some continued deterioration which would need to be patched and repaired. Also conduit and other wiring has begun to fill the ceiling space. For the sake of true restoration we would recommend removal of the lay-in ceiling system and a restoration of the original plaster ceiling. This restoration work may also need to include rewiring or wire management of the wiring in the present ceiling space as well as installation of new lights to replace the existing lighting in the lay-in ceiling. Short term solutions for replacing sagging and water damaged ceiling tiles can be completed rather inexpensively by replacing ceiling tiles within the existing suspended grid system.

The Sanctuary ceiling is noted to have had some repair work completed a number of years back. From our investigation it appears that the original plaster ceiling was covered with a drywall board. It is our guess that the purpose was to cover cracking or ceiling surface deterioration. It appears that this was a successful remedy as there is no visible indication of the drywall application.

Plaster ceilings are painted. Similar to the walls, the paint is old and tired. Repainting is recommended in most rooms. We would also recommend decorative painting to reflect the past historical character of the building in public spaces.

CEILING CONSTRAINTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Removal of existing lay-in ceiling systems and the restoration of the plaster ceilings allow the building restoration to be consistent with the character originally intended. It also keeps the building style and architectural character consistent. Repainting the ceiling also gives the opportunity to provide decorative paint schemes that reflect the original color schemes.


OTHER ARCHITECTURAL COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS

Wood Trim:

Wood trim similar to the wood wainscot is mostly stained. The finished surfaces show their age, exhibiting faded surfaces, dings, dents and scratches in many areas. We recommend touch up and refinishing wood trim similar to the wood wainscot.

Wood Doors:

Most doors are original to the building construction. In most cases doors are functional and operational, this includes most of the sliding panel doors to classrooms accessed from the Fellowship Hall. We note that over the years hardware and locks have been changed on many doors and have left holes and patches in those locations. Some hardware such as closers and concealed locking pins were found to be broken and non functioning and should be replaced. Panic hardware is missing at many existing exit doors. Several are noted to be broken. Panic devices should be added or repaired at these exit locations as a high priority.

Stained wood doors show wear and deterioration similar to other wood trim and wainscoting and are recommended to be repaired and refinished. Several very damaged doors should probably be replaced.

Missing doors in the first floor south entry foyer should be replaced with doors that replicate the original doors as close as possible. Other doors that have been replaced over the years that are not consistent with the original building character may also want to be replaced with original style doors if the budget allows.

Many existing doors have art glass panels. Broken glass panels or mismatched panels should be replaced with glass to match original glass.

Door hardware consists of knob operation devices. Knobs are no longer considered barrier free. Operating mechanisms for door operation to meet todays codes consist of lever handles. It is our understanding that these doors will not be required to be changed to levers as part of restoration upgrades. Consideration may want to be given to changing to lever handles for reasons of hospitality.

Life Safety/Code issues:

As an introduction to this to this section we should note that in general, we will not be required to comply with current building codes in the restoration and maintenance upgrades anticipated as part of the recommendations of this report. In general the existing building is "grandfathered in" if we do not make functional or significant changes to the structure of the buildings. However for the life safety of the building occupants, we should incorporate some current code requirements into the building. We should also note that buildings such as this, with historical designations, are often granted exceptions for the implementation of current code issues with the understanding that the practical application of todays building code requirements on an existing building would drastically alter its use and viability

Exit capacity

There appear to be sufficient exits from all spaces. The existing church facility is served by two stair wells on the south side that serve each of the three floors. In addition there are two internal stairs that serve the first and second levels. Additionally there is an exit passage on the first floor and the second floor that deposits into the central stair of the Temple House.

The Temple House is served by four sets of stairs – one each in the three corners of the Fellowship Hall/Dining Room/Gymnasium portion of the building and one stair centrally located in the middle of the Temple House. There is sufficient exit capacity to serve the building occupant loads.

To meet todays building codes these stairs would want to be enclosed in fire rated construction with fire rated openings. Most of these stairs to do not comply with these requirements. Consideration should be given to enclosing stairs to meet these requirements. Also stair and exit doors should be outfitted with panic devices. We consider the addition of panic devices to be a high priority.

Barrier free issues:

Over half of the building remains inaccessible from a barrier free standpoint. The existing structures have rooms on multiple levels through out.

An elevator serves the existing church which allows access to each of the three levels of this structure although not every room or space on this level is accessible . There are no designated barrier free accommodations provided in the seating of either the balcony or the main sanctuary. Current code requirements would require that those in wheelchairs be given opportunities for seating in several locations throughout the seating arrangement ( i.e. front, back middle).

A newer elevator has been provided in the Temple House which serves the basement level through the third level. The fourth level is inaccessible. Again not all rooms or spaces on each of these levels is accessible.

Elevators provide accessibility to most of the main public spaces except for the gymnasium.

It is our opinion that it would be impossible to make the existing facilities completely barrier free. It is our recommendation to make as many areas barrier free as practically possible without significantly altering the building and its present functional use. To accomplish this we recommend adding another elevator to the west side of the fellowship hall to make the gymnasium accessible. Possible locations for this elevator include the north west corner of the building in areas on each floor now occupied by storage rooms.

Many areas of the existing buildings are ramped. Some of these ramps exceed current ramp slope requirements. Modifications to increase the length of these ramps are impossible in most locations due to the physical constraints of the building. As a low priority we recommend that ramp rails be provided.


Toilet Room Requirements

Quantity of toilet room fixtures is determined by the number of building occupants. In churches we consider the seating capacity of the worship space and will also consider the occupancy of the Fellowship Hall and the Dining Room to calculate the total occupancy.

With this in mind the required toilet room fixture count is as follows:

TOTAL REQUIRED FIXTURES

(The first digit represents Water closets, the second Urinals, and the third Lavatories)

Worship Space Occupancy: 606

Men 1 2 2

Women 5 - 2

Fellowship Hall Occupancy: 578

Men 1 2 2

Women 5 - 2

Dining Room Occupancy: 536

Men 2 2 2

Women 4 - 2

__________________________________________

TOTAL 18 6 12

REQUIRED

TOTAL EXISTING FIXTURES

Water closets Urinals Lavatories

Basement:

Men 1 2 1

Women 2 - 2

First Floor

Men 2 2 2

Women 4 - 4

Unisex 5 4

Second Floor

Men 0 0 0

Women 0 - 0

Unisex 1 0 0

Third Floor

Men 1 2 1

Women 2 - 1

Unisex 1 2

Fourth Floor

Men 0 0 0

Women 0 - 0

Unisex 2 0 1

__________________________________________

TOTAL 21 6 17

EXISTING


Total number of toilet room fixtures meets or exceed required fixture count per building code. None of the existing toilet rooms meet current barrier free requirements. Also the Second Floor has only one toilet room - which is not readily available to the public. We recommend providing a barrier free toilet room on the first floor. This toilet room would be unisex. It's most ideal location at this time is the current custodial room, Room 128 as it is relatively near the main entry, it is near current plumbing and it has available basement space underneath for easily running plumbing. Other alternate locations are identified in the individual room evaluations.

We also recommend providing an additional toilet on the Second Floor as there are no real available toilet rooms on this floor. This also would be recommended as a barrier free unisex toilet room . A possible location for this room might include space in the two rooms presently identified as 221 or 222. These rooms stack above toilet rooms below which would make tying in plumbing lines easier, and would be readily accessible to the Sanctuary. Current storage functions in these rooms would need to be relocated.

Provisions for a private toilet room in the Basement for the Kitchen staff also needs to be considered and may need to be reviewed with the local Health Department.

Leaded Glass Windows:

It appears the most leaded glass and art glass windows are in fairly good condition. In general, we noted very little bowing or flex to the leaded glass frames. In general the frames should be straight and fairly rigid. We did note several pieces of broken or cracked glass within some of the window assemblies. We would recommend that broken and cracked pieces be repaired at an appropriate time. We also note that puttied frames holding glass were found to be hard and cracked in a few locations. These should be repaired in the immediate future to prevent further deterioration.

Stained glass windows in the Sanctuary are protected on the exterior with a protective glazing. It does not appear the cavity space between the stained glass window and the protective glazing is vented. We have found that without venting, there may be a heat build up within the cavity which can cause failure to the leaded glass frames causing bowing and flexing. We would recommend that these cavity's be vented to prevent premature failure.

It is recommended that further investigation of these windows be performed by a leaded glass artisan qualified in historic window restoration.

Pews:

Structurally the existing pews are in good functional condition. We do recommend pew modifications to both the main sanctuary as well as the chapel to provide barrier free accommodation. We believe the existing pews can be modified to meet these accommodations.


ARCHTECURAL EXTERIOR BUILDING SYSTEMS:

Roof Components

Roof work has recently been completed on both the Church and Temple House structures. The existing pitched slate roof of the Church structure was repaired. We note that new copper flashing and cap pieces were added in some areas. The roof repairs appear to have resolved recent past water leaks.

The Temple House roof is primarily a flat roof and was recently replaced with a modified bitumen roof membrane. Flashing and the newly installed roof membrane appear to be in good condition and well applied.

There were no noted areas of ponded water. There appear to be a sufficient number of roof drains and adequate roof slope to direct water to the drains.

The perimeter gutter system at the church structure appears to be functioning adequately and gutter components appear in reasonably good condition.

We note the following deficiencies; which should be repaired:

Repair of perimeter parapet caulk and mortar joint to prevent water infiltration into the wall structure. In several instances we noted open cracked joints.

Recently installed heat tape at the building perimeter did not appear to be functioning at the deep roof well in the north east corner of the Temple Building. This area was filled with ice. We found a tripped electrical breaker in the basement. The breaker was reset. At this time we are not sure if the heat tape is functioning properly. This should be further investigated and repaired if not functioning.

Bell Tower roof is an old built up membrane roof system. It appears very old, but we note that there were no water leaks identified. This roof may need to be replaced in the future.

Wall Components

The church wall consists of an dressed brown sandstone. The stone appears solid and in good condition. There is no noted cracking or movement in the wall system. Stone mortar joints appear solid with good adhesion of the mortar to the stone.

Over the years the stone has accumulated a blackish film. Removal of the black film is possible however a complete cleaning to restore the original stone color may not be desired from an aesthetic point of view. There should be further discussion with the church before proceeding with cleaning of the stone. It would be our recommendation to lightly wash the exterior surface to generally clean the building. At this time we would not recommend removal of all of the blackish film as it may dramatically change the exterior appearance. It is our opinion that the darkening of the stone has provided added character to the building which has allowed the building to root itself into the place in which it stands. We note that the discoloration provides no detrimental effect to the structure.

The Temple House exterior is brick on all faces except for the Capital Avenue face which retains the stone masonry which is consistent with the Church structure.. There are no noted cracks or indications of building movement. The wall structure appears solid. Mortar joints on the lower portions of the building are intack and in good condition. We do note however that the mortar on the upper portions of the building are deteriorated in areas and are soft. Upper areas will need tuckpointing.

We also note that brick on the interior of the flue stack on the south side of the Temple House has begun to deteriorate. This brick should be replaced and tuckpointed.

Exterior Doors

The prime entry doors all appear to be original to the building. Other than one door on the south side, all appear to be functioning and in fairly good condition. Exterior wood doors consistently exposed to the weather and the sun will need consistent maintenance to prevent weathering and discoloration as found on these doors. It is recommended that all of the door and exterior wood trim be refinished and varnished with marine grade varnish.

An attempt should be made to repair the cracked door on the south building elevation in an effort to retain a door that matches the remaining door. If door is beyond salvagability for continued use, it should be replaced.

We noted gaps in the weather-stripping of most doors and recommend providing new door weather stripping.

Exterior Windows

Exterior windows are generally wood and original to the building. We have observed that several lower level windows at the apartment were replaced recently with a clad system window.

Window glazing is typically single pane non-insulated. Some of the units contain decorative art glass glazing or stained glass. As noted earlier in the report the Sanctuary stained glass is covered with a protective glazing material.

Exterior putty is loose and cracking on most windows. Window glazing should be reputtied.

Most of the windows are operational - meaning that they can be opened to allow fresh air in. Several wood window were found to be non operational ( in that they could not be opened ) and will require some repair. The exterior painted surface on most window shows peeling paint. It is recommended that windows be scraped, repainted and caulked at the perimeters.

We have provided an estimated cost for window replacement. From our experience, an energy pay-back on window replacement is usually greater than 10 years. There should be discussion before proceeding with window replacement.

Exterior Trim

Generally painted trim is peeling and should be scraped and repainted. This includes trim around entries and louvers at the Bell Tower. Louvers at the north and south gable ends of the church appear to be deteriorating. We recommend that these be rebuilt to match existing

Lightning Protection

The building presently does not have a lightning protection system. Consideration may want to be given to the installation of this system. A U.L. rated system will require lightning protection rods arranged over all roof areas and will necessitate conductor wires run either through the building or exposed on the building exterior and down to ground. Conductors run within the building will need to be grounded per lightning protection standards.


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