Restoring a Unique Piece of American History

Project Background

• Parking structure built in the 1920s to support the Hotel Casey, once the centerpiece of downtown Scranton (original garage was named the Casey Parkway)
• A new garage was to be built, with the building’s 18 terra cotta window spandrel panels preserved and used as the centerpiece of the new construction; each spandrel contained a hand-carved terra cotta medallion depicting a stylized historic motor vehicle
• MPS was originally contracted to investigate removing the spandrels and medallions and reinstalling them into the new parking structure

Project Challenges

• The terra cotta assemblies were found to be extremely well-bonded to the brick masonry backup, meaning that removal would result in many terra cotta pieces being damaged
• Many terra cotta pieces were deteriorated beyond reuse; the removal and reattachment of the entire assemblies was not an option
• MPS’s solution was to rehabilitate and re-install the terra cotta medallions into precast surround assemblies made from molds of the original spandrel pieces
• The assemblies were installed in the new precast garage structure with recesses left for each panel, which required extremely precise placement

Project Approach

• New precast concrete surround panels were created, with careful attention to maintaining the exact size, shape, and finish of the existing terra cotta spandrel pieces; more than 400 new spandrel pieces were precast by MPS
• All precast pieces and the original medallions were coated with a surface treatment that would replicate the appearance of the historic terra cotta on each piece
• The new panels and original medallions stand today as a striking tribute to the original parking garage and its historical significance