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MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THE WALLS! - But restoration has started

On Feb. 13th part of the parapet wall on the west end of the north wall fell back onto the roof.  At that time we contacted the insurance company and made arrangements for an adjuster to inspect the damage.  Due to snow the adjuster could not inspect the damage for the next week.  On Friday Feb. 19th a major portion of the north wall gave way spilling bricks out onto Lincoln Street.  The city closed the street and we called in a structural engineer to see what was going on.  The structural engineer report said the words we wanted to hear "the building is structually sound."  But we have major problems.  The brick that fell away are part of an outer course of bricks that are a veneer wall that are just for show.  The structural wall is the large 8" block that appear as a different color in the exposed area in the above picture.  The cause of the failure were a number of small thing and one major item.  The major item was that when the flat roof was replaced years ago by a local contractor the roofing material was not installed all the way up and over the parapet wall of capstone.  Parging was used to cover the exposed bricks on the back of the parapet wall from the edge of the roofing material to the capstone.  Over the years the parging developed small cracks (very hard to see) and this allowed water to seep into the bricks which first went into the parapet wall and eventually between the outer veneer wall and the inner structural wall.  The winter of 2010 in Illinois was prety cold and we had a number of freeze and thaws.  The water in the parapet wall expanded and contracted in the freeze and thaw and eventually weakened the mortar between the bricks at the bottom of the parapet wall on the back and this is what caused the first failure.  When this parapet fell to the south it was pushibng the top of the outer bricks on the north wall out away from the inner wall.  The years of water seepage had also weakened the mortar between the bricks on the outer bricks on the north wall as well as metal ties that were used to anchor the out wall to the structural inner wall.  With no metal ties holding the bricks to the structure and mortar damage the outer wall enetually gave way and fell south into the street and dmagaing the ramp to our north entrance.
Other items that contributed to the problem:
- When the walls were tuck pointed the contractor did not get all the pointing deep enough in some places.  this also allowed for a small amount of water seepage.
- When a local contractor replaced the scuppers (rain water catch boxes) on the west wall they did not install flashing between the scuppers and the roofing material and this allowed water to get in behind the bricks as well
- AGE and a rough winter!
PLANS
Thanks to our insurance company we will have SOME funds to do the repairs.  At present we have a restoration company that will be coming in to remove the loose bricks, do a detailed inspection of the damage and cover the damaged area.  We are also going to rebuild the dmaged ramp on the north entrance.  At that time we should have a better estimate at what it will cost to repair the damage.  Right now our "ballpark" figure for restoration is around $30,000!  So we WILL need you help to keep this historical building and entertainment venue open for many more years to come.

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The Altamont Living Museum is a not-for-profit organization and we offer many forms of entertainment. You'll find award winning performers, plays performed by our local theater troupe A.C.T. and Altamont High school students, country/bluegrass variety shows on Tuesday nights, and memorabilia exhibits on display for your enjoyment. The building is also available for special events such as receptions, special music shows and meetings. The museum has a stage complete with stage lighting, lighting booth, sound system, a sound booth and a house that seats about 120. Downstairs we have a kitchen and a meeting room that is capable of holding 40 people comfortably. Alcohol and smoking are prohibited in the ALM.