Western Specialty Contractors – Chicago Concrete Branch recently completed concrete repairs at BMO Harris Bank Center, home to the NHL Chicago Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate Rockford IceHogs.

The multi-purpose arena in Downtown Rockford, IL, was constructed in the late 1970s with an exterior, reinforced concrete concourse on all elevations. A condition assessment of BMO Harris Bank Center conducted by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) revealed that the split slab waterproofing on the elevated concourse had passed its useful life resulting in water intrusion into the concrete structure. The moisture caused the internal reinforcement to rust, which in turn caused the concrete to delaminate and spall.

Western Specialty Contractors was contracted by venue management and services company ASM Rockford to complete localized concrete repairs at deteriorated locations on the underside and vertical surfaces of the elevated concourse.

Utilizing scissor lifts, Western’s craftsmen removed the damaged concrete one elevation at a time, then sandblasted and applied a rust-inhibiting coating to all the internal steel reinforcement.

Western then installed supplemental rebar as directed by WJE to replace any severely corroded or missing reinforcement. Due to the structural design of the concourse, a decision was made to use either form-and-pour or shotcrete methods to place new concrete in each repair location. Western’s crew utilized full-height heating enclosures due to cold temperatures to prepare the substrate conditions for the new concrete properly.

The final repair quantities totaled 600 square feet on all four elevations of BMO Harris Bank Center. The project started in October 2022 and was completed in three months, on time and within budget.

About Western Specialty Contractors

Family-owned and operated for more than 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. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://WesternSpecialtyContractors.com.

125 Broad Street, also known as 2 New York Plaza, is a 40-story, 504-foot office tower in Lower Manhattan on the corner of South Street and Broad Street. Being located on the East River, it is susceptible to strong wind-driven rains making the building envelope crucial to its integrity and longevity.

Western was hired by Cushman & Wakefield to complete a full façade sealant replacement. Western was responsible for removing and replacing approximately 250,000 LF (over 47 miles) of exterior sealant.

In addition to sealant replacement, the project scope also included glass replacement, mullion replacement, aluminum panel repair, and mullion track repair.

This project was completed over two phases while working through the pandemic in 2022. Despite having to navigate through several obstacles, Western was able to complete the project on time.

About Western Specialty Contractors

Family-owned and operated for more than 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. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://WesternSpecialtyContractors.com.

Western Specialty Contractors – Indianapolis Branch has restored the leaking plaza at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Indianapolis, IN, using modern waterproofing and decorative pedestal pavers. The 3,800 sq. ft. plaza is home to the church’s annual Italian Street Festival.

The plaza’s old pavers were leaking into the basement of a surrounding building, and elevated wooden decks and stairs connecting building access to the plaza were also deteriorating.

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis hired Western in February 2022 to install a beautiful new plaza to eliminate
water issues and decks and provide level access to the new space. Western started the project by removing the existing paver system and waterproofing and installing stone and copper flashing along the courtyard’s perimeter. Workers then installed a hot-applied waterproofing system to the plaza’s concrete slab before installing a new pedestal paver system that raised the plaza area by 22 inches.

Western’s craftsmen saw-cut the pavers on-site to create Holy Rosary Plaza's new decorative pattern and ensure a proper fit. Western completed the project within three months, on budget, and in time for the church’s Italian Street Festival in June.

About Western Specialty Contractors

Family-owned and operated for more than 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. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://WesternSpecialtyContractors.com.

Western Specialty Contractors – Des Moines, IA Branch used its concrete/masonry restoration and waterproofing expertise to repair and protect portions of historic Nile Kinnick Stadium – home to the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team.

Located in Iowa City, IA, Nile Kinnick Stadium was named after University of Iowa football star Nile Kinnick who won the Heisman Trophy in 1939 and died in 1943 while serving in World War II. Originally named Iowa
Stadium, the facility was constructed in only seven months between 1928 and 1929 using horses and mules as the primary heavy-equipment movers. The stadium underwent major renovations in 1956, 1983, 1990, 2004 and 2016. Its current capacity is 69,250, making it one of the 20 largest university-owned stadiums in the country.

Most sports stadiums and arenas in the United States are made of reinforced and precast concrete with steel seating supports and railings. Unfortunately, an even more universal characteristic is their openness and vulnerability to the elements — in addition to the wear and tear they receive from fans. All of these forces combine to take a toll on their structural integrity.

Without routine maintenance and protection, these concrete structures are subject to cracking, spalling and
structural damage from movement and reoccurring freeze and thaw cycles.

Engineering firm Shive-Hattery Architecture + Engineering worked with university officials to determine the scope of work required by Western to restore and protect Kinnick Stadium, which included:

Waterproofing Membrane –
Grandstands (115,000 sq. ft.)

• Joint sealant replacement
• Vertical spall repairs
• Concrete crack repairs
• Concrete step replacement
  Concourse Soffit and Suspension
  System Repair/Replacement
• East Concourse repair plaster and
  repaint
• West Concourse replacement of the
  entire suspension system and plaster

Masonry Repairs – Southwest Corner
of Stadium

• New through-wall flashing
• 100% tuckpointing
• Parapet rebuild
• Multi-wythe brick replacement

Challenges on the project resolved by Western included scheduling and mobilizing work around unanticipated stadium events and building custom aluminum soffits that required multiple shop drawing revisions to ensure a proper fit.

Western’s craftsmen started the $1.2 million restoration project in May 2022 and completed the work on schedule in August 2022 and within budget.

About Western Specialty Contractors

Family-owned and operated for more than 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. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://WesternSpecialtyContractors.com.

Western Specialty Contractors – Minneapolis Branch was given the opportunity to restore and make repairs to the original stone courtyard wall at historic Lochmoor Mansion on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, MN. Built in 1929 by Duluth mining magnate Chester Congdon, the English Tudor-style home was a gift to his daughter Marjorie.

The home’s current owners have worked meticulously to restore and preserve the mansion’s original character, including the stone wall surrounding its courtyard. Over time, the wall had begun to lean towards the lake to the point that it needed to be repaired and rebuilt, and a portion of the wall surrounding an outdoor fireplace and entertainment space needed tuckpointing.

Western’s masonry experts dismantled the 60-ft-long, 7-ft-tall natural stone wall, taking care to mark the exact location of each stone, and rebuilt the lake-facing wall as it was originally constructed, taking care to maintain the arch around a gate opening. A few stones that had crumbled when removed were replaced with other stones found around the property. Western used mortar that had been selected from several samples by the owners the year prior to rebuild the wall and tuckpoint the fireplace area.

“The biggest challenge of this project was obviously maintaining the historic integrity of the stone wall’s original construction,” said Daryl Carlson, Sales/Project Manager at Western’s Minneapolis Branch. “We knew this was important to the owners, and with our experience working on historic masonry structures and buildings, as well as custom-mixing mortars based on historic colors and textures, we were able to rebuild the wall as it would have appeared 94 years ago when it was originally constructed.”

Western’s crews completed the project in five months and within budget.

About Western Specialty Contractors

Family-owned and operated for more than 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. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://WesternSpecialtyContractors.com.

Western Specialty Contractors – St. Louis Concrete Branch recently completed repairs to a concrete pedestrian bridge connecting Corporate Plaza in Chesterfield, MO, to a parking garage on the east side of the property. The 226,000-square-foot office building and bridge were constructed in 1989.

The building’s 109-foot-long pedestrian bridge, weathered and damaged from wear and tear, was constructed of precast double and single tees with a cast-in-place field topping. The bridge’s height ranged from 5 ft. to 30 ft. above the ground and had a canopy over it attached to a metal railing that was to remain in place for the duration of the project.

Property management firm Sansone Group hired Western and engineering firm Heideman Associates to facilitate the bridge repairs. Western used modular scaffolding to access the bridge and perform the following work:

• Concrete topping slab replacement
• Full-depth concrete repairs to the precast single and double tee panels
• Canopy post-base replacement
• Installation of expansion joints and joint sealants
• Application of a traffic coating membrane

The concrete was replaced in two phases to allow the pedestrian canopy to be supported half the time by existing post supports. Western completed the bridge repairs in three months, on schedule and within budget.

About Western Specialty Contractors

Family-owned and operated for more than 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. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://WesternSpecialtyContractors.com.