Initial Assessment: Masonry, Plaster & Finishes Failure
Old Senate Chamber
This report follows an initial one-day inspection of three historic spaces owned by the State of Maryland: the Old Senate Chamber which was undergoing paint and plaster failure, the Old Treasury which was suffering significant masonry failure, and the John Shaw House where plaster was erupting with salts. From this report, the State was able to focus on causes rather than symptoms and begin to make changes to alleviate the source. In the Old Senate Chamber, we concluded the problem was not perceived leakage through the masonry from outside, but the result of condensation and an unbalanced HVAC system in combination with 20th century changes to the plaster and paint.
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