The Need for Old Buildings
Bielski Specialty Services, Inc. gives historical buildings a second chance
Anyone owning a home is acutely aware of the constant maintenance required in keeping the structure looking and functioning at its best. As demanding as home ownership can be, imagine being tasked with cleaning and restoring a high-rise historical building in a densely populated downtown business district.
Welcome to Tim Bielskiās world.Ā
āAlthough the work can be extremely challenging, itās rewarding knowing weāre helping to preserve a piece of history,ā says Tim Bielski, founder and President of Bielski Specialty Services, Inc. in Anaheim, Calif.
Bielskiās journey to becoming a leader in providing historical restoration services has been a circuitous one. āI started an exterior maintenance company in 1979,ā says Bielski. āI founded the company based on my skill set at the time, which was pressure washing. It was a means to an end. Within a few years, I met a man who was also providing pressure washing services in the area. We joint-ventured on a few jobs and I ended up buying him out. From there, other avenues started opening up and eventually I created my niche in historical restoration.ā
And thanks to a strong economy, there has been a resurgence in preserving historical buildings throughout the country.
āFive years ago, most of our work involved the historical restoration of government facilities and very little private-sector work,ā says Ernie Sepulveda, a Senior Project Manager who has worked for Bielski for 15 years. āAs the economy has rebounded, more people are investing in bringing historical facilities back to their original state. Today, weāre doing more private work than government work.ā
Preserving More than Bricks and Mortar
The stories behind the buildings that Bielski restores are as varied as the services he provides. When the San Fernando earthquake struck Southern California in 1971, Los Angelesā main government facility experienced significant damage. Built in 1928, the Los Angeles City Hall featured glazed-brick light courts, flamed granite blocks and terra-cotta surfaces. The repairs to the facility were extensive and necessitated the repainting of the entire 32-story building, including the grout lines, which was done to save money and blend in the mortar color. As was common practice in the 70s, lead-based paint was used in painting residential, commercial and industrial facilities. (It wasnāt until 1978 that lead was banned from paints in the United States.)Ā Ā
Twenty-three years later, the Northridge earthquake rumbled through the Los Angeles area, and, once again, the Los Angeles City Hall was caught in the crosshairs. Bielski Specialty Services, Inc. was awarded a subcontract for the exterior restoration cleaning of approximately 315,000 square feet of surface area and lead-based paint abatement on approximately 175,000 lineal feet of terra-cotta grout lines.Ā
āWe chemically cleaned the historical wall surfaces using a combination of frame and suspended swing-stage scaffold systems,ā says Bielski. āWe stripped all the lead-based paint from the entire structure, which generated waste effluent that required special handling and disposal. As with any paint abatement project, our workers closely followed careful procedures to protect themselves as well as the surrounding environment. We stayed on that project for more than a year.āĀ
No Compromises
In addition to providing historical restoration, Bielskiās company also offers a variety of services for new facilities, including educational facilities, prisons and water treatment plants. āWe work with the masons who build new structures throughout the state,ā says Bielski. āWe specialize in waterproofing and water-repellent services, concrete sealant, caulking and masonry cleaning for new construction. While weāre not responsible for the masonry, we give the owners the finished product theyāre expecting to see.āĀ
Regardless of the type of project, Bielski takes special precautions on every job site to ensure the safety of his employees, the public and the project. Ā
āWe deal with a lot of different general contractors,ā says Bielski. āEach one implements very stringent safety protocols, which we follow. We also adhere to our own safety procedures in terms of training and meetings. The combined efforts have lowered our workersā compensation insurance premiums while enabling our employees to take great pride in their work and their safety.āĀ
Bielski explains that every employee is carefully trained in the proper use of all their equipment, including scaffolding, ladders and power tools. He attributes the specialized training as key to the companyās success. āWe frequently have to coordinate the work that weāre doing with other work that is occurring on the project at the same time. We carefully supervise our staff to help minimize potential accidents and disruption to the surrounding area.āĀ
Bielski Specialty Services, Inc. is also a certified applicator of numerous products that are used in the restoration process. āWe undergo specialized training and certifications for many of the products we use,ā says Bielski. āCompanies such as PROSOCO, Jahn International and QUINTEKĀ manufacture quality products that contribute significantly to the preservation of the objects to which they are applied. Itās important that weāre properly trained in using the most gentle and thoroughly acknowledged restoration cleaning processes available in the industry.āĀ
History in the Making
While the majority of Bielskiās work stems from historical restoration, the face of these types of projects is changing. Ā
āThings are more technical now than they used to be because of historic Preservation regulations and guidelines,ā says Sepulveda. āAnd because buildings are being repurposed from their original intent, the envelope sometimes gets pushed a bit.ā Ā
Projects like the Eastern Columbia BuildingĀ fall into this category. Built in 1929, the structure is in the Broadway Theater and commercial district of downtown Los Angeles and is considered the best surviving example of Art Deco architecture in Los Angeles. Originally built as a department store, the 13-story building was renovated in 2006 and converted into luxury condominiums. Ā
Bielskiās restoration contract included chemical cleaning of the glazed terra-cotta faƧade, interior and exterior glass cleaning, removal and replacement of all sealant, and window renovation.Ā
āAlthough this was a restoration project, it was different from the norm,ā says Sepulveda. āThe building was pretty run down before its conversion. The owners wanted to keep the original integrity of the building while creating a totally different look. With its modern features, the building has become an iconic landmark.ā Ā
āAdaptive reuse projects like the Eastern Columbia Building highlight the benefits of historic preservation,ā adds Bielski. āWhile it may require more time and money upfront, preserving history instead of demolishing and replacing old buildings bodes well for the future.ā