Once the crown jewel of the Indianapolis Water Company, Western Specialty Contractors – Indianapolis Branch recently restored the façade of Indianapolis’ historic 123-year-old Riverside Pumping Station.
Located at 1201 Waterway Boulevard, just northwest of IUPUI’s campus, the grand limestone and masonry municipal building was constructed by the Indianapolis Water Company in 1900 under the leadership of its first president, Thomas Armstrong Morris. In part due to the construction of this facility, Indianapolis became one of the nation’s first major cities to treat its drinking water.
According to 1924 reports, the Riverside Pumping Station housed six pumping units, a smokeless chimney, a snow reciprocating steam pump, and a large vertical triple expansion pump. The historic pumping station is still in use today and is owned and operated by Citizens Energy Group.
The utility company contracted Western Specialty Contractors in April 2022 to restore the historic building’s façade and protect it from future weathering. Western’s crew used temporary barricades to close off the work area and erected canopies over the building’s entrances to protect visitors during the intricate restoration process.
The mission of Western’s restoration experts was to repair damage to the building’s façade, restore/recreate any damaged elements to near original condition, adhere to the facility’s original architectural design, and protect the building’s exterior from future damage by using the latest technology and materials.
Western’s scope of work included:
- Stone dutchman repairs
- Stone replacement
- Brick repointing – all exterior
- Limestone tuckpointing – all exterior
- Limestone finial repairs
- Masonry crack injections
- Stone-to-stone sealing
- Sealant and counter flashing replacement
- Coping unit removal and replacement
- Steel beam connection repair
- Façade cleaning
Western’s craftsmen completed the restoration project in four months and within budget to the owner’s satisfaction. The facility remained fully operational during the restoration process.
About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for over 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing, and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects, and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures, including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures, and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, with 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology.
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