The Building

254 S Main is a historic apartment building in the city of Wilkes-Barre in northeastern Pennsylvania. The exterior styling features a variety of stone work including terracotta tiles. The property is described as a luxury apartment building. 

The Challenge

We were contacted to repair any broken terracotta tiles and repoint all failing mortar joints. We had to be extremely careful to avoid nearby high voltage power lines. At one point we coordinated with the local power company to briefly shut off the lines. The tiles themselves were a challenge, the original plan was to remove and replace the broken tiles in the parapet wall. 

The Solution

This turned out to be a major undertaking as the tiles above the cracked tiles on the parapet wall all had to be removed in order to pull out the broken tile. The amount of labor required and the potential for damaging more tiles in the process we decided to repair the broken tiles in lieu of replacing them. 

The Result

Once we completed all repairs the building looked so much better. Small issues with exterior features can really bring the entire look of the building down. Even though it was a tedious job, it was well worth the effort.