From High-Rises to Historic Restorations
Kitson Contracting Inc. ‘fixes’ the buildings that matter
If you’ve ever visited prominent attractions in Southern California, you’ve likely encountered the work of Kitson Contracting Inc.: the San Diego Museum of Man in Balboa Park; the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; the San Diego Convention Center; the San Diego Museum of Art; Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House in Los Angeles; Parsons Corporation World Headquarters building; the UCLA Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library; the San Rafael Avenue Bridge in Pasadena.
The list continues of landmark buildings, churches, schools and commercial high-rise and civic structures that Kitson Contracting has restored or weatherproofed since the company was founded by John Kitson in 1988.
Today, Kitson Contracting is a leading concrete repair, waterproofing, sealant, historical restoration and building repair contractor in the southwestern region of the United States. The firm specializes in preserving, protecting and restoring everything from high-rise commercial buildings to parking structures and historic facades. Ninety percent of the firm’s work is in Southern California, within a 150-mile radius of downtown Los Angeles.
Entrepreneur at Heart
Kitson’s background in building repair began as an employee for two large companies: first, as branch manager in San Francisco for the largest historical restoration and waterproofing contractor in the country, and then as estimator for the largest historical restoration and waterproofing contractor in Los Angeles.
A self-described business entrepreneur at heart, Kitson decided to start his company, which specializes in waterproofing, with very little money. The firm repairs the exterior of buildings, where weather elements, like wind and water, have caused leaks. While others in the business have come and gone, Kitson Contracting is still going strong 30 years later and has expanded its services to include building repair and historical restoration. The company has done everything from landmark building and historic structure restoration to exterior cleaning and curtainwall repair on high-rise office buildings. It also uses specialized sealants for storage tanks, canals, ponds and reservoirs. The firm also performs earthquake damage repair and seismic upgrades on buildings.
In addition, Kitson Contracting provides preventative maintenance programs—such as recaulking and sealing window walls and troubleshooting moisture intrusion—to help building owners retain a building’s beauty and safety while avoiding costly future repairs.
The company works closely with architects, engineers, building owners and managers to establish cost-effective programs that address the structural and aesthetic integrity of their buildings. “We diagnose your building, identify and prioritize its restoration needs, then develop and execute a plan to solve the problem,” Kitson says.
Historic Restoration
Today, the firm is one of the few contractors that specialize in facade restoration on historic buildings. Kitson recalls it was difficult getting his first historical facade project. “We had the skill and brain trust of 25-plus years of experience, but it was hard to get that first job—kind of like getting your first credit card in college,” he says. “You have to prove yourself worthy.”
The firm started out with small store facades. As it took on more buildings, it earned the confidence of architects and engineers, and the historical restoration side of the business took off. Today, Kitson Contracting has more than 100 major historical facade restoration projects under its belt. Kitson Contracting won a Preservation Design Award from the California Preservation Foundation for its extensive, outstanding work on the California Tower project at the San Diego Museum of Man. The tower, which houses the museum, was originally constructed in 1914 and was designed by Bertram Goodhue, who was inspired by the churches of Mexico and Spain.
Kitson Contracting was on the job for more than a year repairing the facade of the historic structures. “It involved very detailed work, 250 feet in the air,” Kitson says. “Over the years, water and salt air had deteriorated the statuaries on the facade. We had to repair the deficiencies in the cast stone.”
A craftsman working on one of the statues of a monk noticed a bird wing feature in the statue’s hand and created a small bird, which was carefully installed in the monk’s hand. “The historic conservatory originally thought the statue was holding a book, but we determined it was a bird instead, and added that detail,” Kitson says.
It is that attention to detail that keeps customers coming back. “It was a several million-dollar project, but if you ask our client what she remembers most about the job, it’s that we created the lost bird,” Kitson says.
That craftsman’s decision on that project is indicative of Kitson’s mantra “to take care of the customer.” He says, “One of my mottos is, ‘The customer is always right.’ My employees know that if an owner makes a reasonable request in the field, we go ahead and do it.”
Over the past three decades, Kitson Contracting has worked on many noteworthy projects, including:
- The Sony Pictures Plaza building in Culver City, where the firm performed waterproofing, concrete repair, caulking and deck coating.
- The 150-year-old Jensen Alvarado Historic Ranch and Museum east of Los Angeles, where Kitson Contracting repaired the historic brick structure.
- Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, built in 1966 and better known as the West Coast White House when Ronald Regan was President. Kitson did a complete exterior restoration on the 19-story luxury hotel.
- The Los Angeles Exposition Park Armory building, built in 1912, where the firm performed historic-facade repairs.
- Hollywood High School, where the company repaired concrete and installed a vapor barrier and deck coating.
- Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where the firm did helipad resurfacing and painting.
- The Pasadena Civic Auditorium, built in 1932, located a mile from Kitson Contracting’s office, where Michael Jackson introduced the moonwalk and many Emmy Awards programs have been presented. Waterproofing of this high-profile landmark was performed by Kitson Contracting.
“We’re not afraid of any project. We take on the jobs no one else wants to do or cannot do.” John Kitson, Founder, Kitson Contracting Inc.
Once, as Kitson’s crews were working on a nearby hotel in Pasadena, the owner of the Sheraton Pasadena Hotel came over to seek services from the company. “The quality of our work has spread by word-of-mouth,” Kitson notes, adding that the Sheraton became a project of which his team is very proud.
Booked three to six months in advance, Kitson says the firm concentrates on several jobs at a time to avoid getting spread too thin. “Structural repair is a highly litigated industry. We can’t afford not to do things right,” he says.
Experienced Staff
Kitson relies on his longtime superintendent Davis Burton to put together the right crews for whatever the job requires. He hears a lot of accolades from satisfied customers about Burton’s project management skills. Kitson met Burton over 30 years ago at a previous company, and not long after starting Kitson Contracting, he called Burton to help waterproof a structure right on the ocean. “It was only a monthlong project. I told him at the end of the month, I might not have other work, but he’s gotten a paycheck every Friday for the last 30 years. We work well together and have a good partnership,” Kitson says.
Burton, along with longtime employees Dyan Robles (office manager) and Will Fauberbach (senior estimator), are keys to the company’s success, Kitson says. “Among those three, they have 100 years of experience,” he adds.
Besides its quality work, Kitson Contracting is also known for its ability to take on challenging jobs. “We’re not afraid of any project. We take on the jobs no one else wants to do or cannot do,” Kitson says. “We enjoy working together with building owners to find solutions to their problems.
“It may sound like a cliché, but people refer to me as ‘the Fixer,’ ” Kitson says. “We fix the buildings that matter.”