Tag Archives: California

Iconic Airplane Commercial Sign Restoration

Posted on December 31, 2018 by rtdgba

This iconic commercial sign had faded significantly after several decades to the sun. Located at the entrance to the Burbank Empire Shopping Center, the project was to restore the bright, vital colors to this landmark. There is an impressive level of … Continue reading →

Posted in Decorative Painting, Exterior Painting | Tagged | Leave a comment

Boyle Hotel: Brick Repointing and Cleaning

Posted on April 12, 2018 by rtdgba

Since its construction in 1889, the brickwork of this historic hotel had fallen into disrepair. For this project, Kaptive C&P began with a thorough cleaning of the exterior, followed by brick repointing and patching. To replace those beyond repair, over 2,500 … Continue reading →

Posted in Masonry Restoration | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Oakland City Hall: Masonry Restoration and Seismic Upgrade

Posted on April 12, 2018 by rtdgba

With the threat of earthquakes on the rise in California, Kaptive C&P of Beverly Hills, CA, stepped in to fit the Oakland City Hall with protection against these natural disasters. To accomplish this complete seismic retrofit, they installed a milestone … Continue reading →

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Bent Wood Shingle Roof Replacement 1933 Storybook Chapel

Posted on May 3, 2016 by rtdgba

Designed by architect Francis Harvey Slocombe, this San Jose, California “Storybook” style funeral chapel  is a close replica of another built in Berkeley a few years earlier. The signature element is the bent and/or waved wood shingle roofing, itself an … Continue reading →

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Sculpture Reveals the Working Character of Copper

Posted on April 25, 2016 by rtdgba

This public sculpture in copper, by metalworker Pat Downing, of San Diego, CA shows what a subtle and expressive element is the metal copper. Using a technique called “foldforming”, the artist is exploiting the extreme malleability of this metal, once one masters … Continue reading →

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Window Restoration in Historic 1922 California Bungalow

Posted on April 19, 2016 by rtdgba

All 33 windows of this classic 1922 California bungalow were restored, rather than replaced. Home Window Repairs, of Ventura, did the work and said that the owner felt that these windows were such a defining element of the home that it … Continue reading →

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Restoration of Board Form Concrete at Art Deco 1932 Olympic Swim Stadium

Posted on March 3, 2016 by rtdgba

California builders have historically used board form concrete in signature buildings, such as cathedrals and city halls, with an assurance that is surprising to the visitor. In the wintry northeast, period use of this material is relegated to the utilitarian, … Continue reading →

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Monumental Steel Supported Stained Glass Arch.

Posted on December 30, 2015 by rtdgba

ANOTHER Frederick Law Olmstead designed cemetery/park! You can almost hear them walking away saying, “He’ll be happy here.” Oakland has the Oakland A’s, a pretty cool city bus system and Mountain View Cemetery, with world famous Millionaires Row AND a … Continue reading →

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Restoration of a “Superleggera” Chair, Designed by Architect Gio Ponti.

Posted on September 30, 2015 by rtdgba

Superleggera mean “Super-Lightweight”, in Italian, according to Citizen Cane Chair Restoration of Huntington Beach, California. That was the name given to this chair by its designer, Gio Ponti (1891-1979), a prolific and versatile Italian architect and designer active from the … Continue reading →

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Tales from the Blue Ox, A Hands-On Manual of Traditional Skills from the Blue Ox Millworks Historic Park

Posted on September 28, 2015 by rtdgba

This ambitious Manual of traditional skills sets out to furnish a comprehensive technical overview of a broad spectrum of nineteenth century building and manufacturing technologies and, improbably, achieves its goal to an impressive degree.  The Blue Ox is a useful … Continue reading →

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