Pasadena, Los Angeles County,
California, USA
The Raymond Theater in Pasadena had been in business, more or less, for over 70 years before declining fortunes forced its closure. A recent adaptive reuse project involved brick and terra cotta veneer preservation. We saved all the orignal facade elements and recreated missing elements, such as the old marquee. This ensured the conservation of a part of Pasadena’s historic streetscape.
The most egregious damage to the building was man-made, and resulted from the prior application of a ‘modern’ cement stucco veneer over a steel channel frame. This is a typical condition for older masonry structures, where projecting horizontal elements such as pediments and water courses are chipped back to facilitate installation of a new flatter surface in stucco or sheet metal. Removal of the damaged terra cotta was carefully executed to avoid additional damage to adjacent sound veneer units. Then new stainless steel anchors could be installed using epoxy adhesive in preparation for the final installation of new terra cotta units.
