The top and rear slopes of the cornice trusses are covered with structural clay tiles supported by 2" steel tee purlins set perpendicular to the trusses. The tiles served as a base for the terne-plated steel standing seam roofing, which had rusted through in spots on the top slope. The standing seam roof on the rear slope of the cornice had been coated with asphalt but was in relatively good condition. In spite of recurrent leakage, the tiles were in satisfactory condition, and the trusses showed only small areas of superficial rusting. The galvanized steel facing of the cornice was generally in good condition, but about 30 lineal feet (roughly 10 percent) of the steel at the base of the cornice had rusted where the galvanized facing entered the masonry wall. (Water leaking into the cornice had collected there.)

Detail section shows the new cornice crown molding, edge cap and roofing that corrected a construction flaw in the original fabrication. Drawing: Michael Devonshire. Click here to see a larger version of this drawing.

    In addition, large rust holes had formed behind nearly all the decorative lions' heads on the crown of the cornice, where holes in the exposed and seldom painted ornament allowed bird nests and moisture to accumulate. The metal of the cornice soffit was in surprisingly good condition, perhaps because water entering there was able to weep through lapped seams of the steel facing.

    Other leakage was attributable to a small sloped section at the front of the cornice above the crown molding. Perhaps due to a fabrication error, the trusses were too tall to receive the cornice facing as designed.

As shown in this view, the molding applied to the modillions was extremely deteriorated. A more serious problem was that most of the zinc modillions had fractured where the integral leaf moldings met the scrolled sides, allowing them to separate from the soffit. As a previous temporary safety measure, holes had been cut in the soffit panels to pass supporting wire beneath the modillions. Photo: Richard Pieper.

    Since the facing could not be raised further vertically without the top inside corner of the modillions touching the bottom chord of the trusses, a gap existed between the top of the sheet metal facing and the cornice roof when the facing was installed. The gap was closed by a short sloped piece of galvanized steel sheet metal that was not visible from the street.

    By far the most serious problem with the cornice was the deterioration of the stamped zinc ornament applied to the exterior of the galvanized steel facing. The large 12"-wide zinc modillions projected 24" from the cornice entablature and were in poor condition. The stamped zinc had fractured where integral leaf moldings met the scrolled sides of the modillions, allowing them to separate from the soffit. As a previous temporary safety measure, holes had been cut in the soffit panels to pass supporting wires beneath the modillions. Cracks indicative of metal fatigue were also present in the fronts and sides of the modillions.

Most of the egg and dart molding on the cornice had deteriorated over the years and required replacement. Photo: Richard Pieper.

    Most of the applied stamped zinc moldings were also extremely deteriorated. The cornice had been infrequently painted, and much of the ornament was thinned, perforated or broken through dissolution and embrittlement of the zinc. Lions' heads on the crown molding could easily be punctured and were tenuously attached to the galvanized steel with deteriorated soldered joints.

   Sections of leaf molding and egg and dart molding at the base of the cornice had fallen or been removed. The remaining molding was in poor condition.