NEWS

Practicing What We Preach

Indiana Landmarks provides advice and recommendations on repairs and rehab to owners of historic properties, and we think it’s important to practice what we preach when it comes to our own buildings. The recent restoration of windows at our Western Regional Office in Terre Haute is a perfect example.

Restoring vintage windows

Window of Opportunity

Designed by the prominent architectural firm of Miller & Yeager, the Terre Haute Mutual Savings Association was an unusual commercial structure in the city when it was completed in 1941. A blend of Art Deco and Art Moderne with a touch of classicism, the sleek one-story building features an exterior of manufactured masonry panels, glass block, and aluminum and stainless steel windows that allowed light to flood the main interior space.

After the bank relocated in the early 1970s, the building served a series of uses, including a Chinese restaurant, an electronics store, and commercial office space. By the time Indiana Landmarks bought the property in 2011, the main façade’s windows’ corroded steel sills, vertical structural members, and warped aluminum frames had caused several glass panes to crack — all of which allowed water to leak into the interior.

Window repairs on historic buildings

Indiana Landmarks hired Brandt Construction to repair the damage. Workers disassembled the 75-year-old windows, labeling all parts as they went. The crew scraped and cleaned all intact original glass and all of the aluminum and stainless steel frames and supports. The company fabricated new stainless steel sills and vertical structural members and reassembled the windows, using silicon sealant to prevent water infiltration. The painstaking work took six weeks, and the results are well worth it: the team preserved all original aluminum and stainless steel and over 90% of the original glass panes.

You might be able to spot the improvements with a trained eye, but we consider it a compliment to hear from visitors and passersby that the restored windows look pretty much as they did before. The work should ensure the historic windows function properly for at least another 75 years.

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