Apple Restoration & Waterproofing, Inc.
News from the Core
February 1998, vol. 4, issue 1, ©1998, 132 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 599-5055 On-line: [log in to unmask]

Chunks
At Apple this winter’s buzz word came from a January 5 column in the New York
Times by Gail Collins.  “In the tabloids we used to call it ‘chunking,’ after
the inevitable lead paragraph that begins, ‘A chunk of XXXX broke from a
building at. . . .’”

Sometimes poor construction or neglected masonry destroys a whole wall at a
time.  For instance, if a row house is demolished without proper repairs to a
connecting wall, the whole wall of the adjacent house sometimes falls away,
and the public has a doll-house view of the residents’ rooms until the
temporary enclosure is put on.
But whether it’s “chunks” or a complete collapse, the result is a sudden fall
of heavy material on whatever, or whoever, happens to be below.

Falling masonry is especially common in winter.  Water invades a leaking wall
and expands as it freezes.  The ice itself holds the material in place until
the next thaw, when the masonry gives way and falls.  A wet winter, like this
one, keeps Apple busy securing the buildings to prevent further damage.
Permanent repairs usually have to wait until warmer weather.

Apple’s Chunks

At 42nd St., Apple was called in by Times Square Properties to provide
emergency heating in the historic Selwyn Theater, next door to the Selwyn
office building which had collapsed.  Apple forces had to be on hand 24 hours
a day for more than two weeks to keep the heat going.  This was necessary to
protect the historical plaster in the landmark theater, which includes
numerous molded cherubs and beautiful friezes.

We also erected temporary shoring to keep additional walls from falling.

With this and other incidents, Apple is having an interesting winter.  Heads
up, everybody!

Return Visit

In response to the delegation to Poland that Apple was part of in December,
eight historic preservationists from Poland are planning to visit New York in
early March.  A reception and presentation are in the planning stages.

Baby Sam

 Now there are two Sam Bernards.  Little Sam was born Jan. 27.  Papa Sam, of
Apple, and Mama Marcia are (both) doing fine.

Greetings

On a lighter note, we at Apple were so impressed by the beautiful and amazing
Christmas/Holiday greeting cards that came in this year, that we decided to
pick a winner.  (The “prize” will have to be personal satisfaction.)

After long discussion, etc., we selected a small, black-and-white card from
Bird Barrier America, of Redondo Beach, CA.  It shows four disgruntled-looking
pigeons on a housetop by the chimney.  Inside, the message is, “There are some
chimneys even Santa won’t go down.”

We reflected that if the card had come from a chimney cleaning firm, instead
of a bird proofer, we’d have thought it meant something different.

Heart Work

Sad to say, the January 1998 issue of News from the Core did not appear.  Ken
Follett, who sends it out via computer, was laid up with a respiratory
infection.  This led to more trouble with his heart palpitations and landed
him in the hospital twice during January.

On January 22 he underwent an electrophysiological procedure to correct the
heart problem, and he returned to work February 2.

Most of us don’t think about our heartbeat all that much, but Ken reports that
he’s had all kinds of funny sensations from having a heart that beats
differently.

Friends

Gratitude to Dorothy Kender of the Building Stone Institute for being a good
friend and appreciating toothpicks.
Thanks to Tim Lynch, of Robert Silman Associates, for being such a great guy
to work with at 42nd St..

Check out Kim Lovejoy’s article, Trends in Religious Property Preservation, in
the Jan/Feb 98 issue of Traditional Building. A fine piece of writing.

We thank Drew Diaz of Edge Development for providing a Frontier and Western
Americana reading list.

We distribute this newsletter as a free service to our customers and business
contacts. If you don’t want to receive it, say the word and we’ll stop.

Preserve the Future, Restore the Past