by Mike Imwalle
Top: Crew from Modern Concrete pouring concrete for the upper bond beam and the gabled cap. Bottom: Finished concrete cap and pressure-treated ridge beam ready for tile.
In January of this year I reported that Channel Coast Corporation and David Tait Masonry completed laying the adobe bricks for a 60-foot section of the Northwest Corner defense wall. Once the bricks were laid to form the concrete bond beam at the top of the wall, it was Modern Concrete’s turn to climb the scaffolding to install reinforcing steel. On February 2nd the upper bond beam was poured and the gabled cap was formed.
Top: Cambron Roofing &Waterproofing roofer installing the cap tile along 60-foot section of Northwest Corner Defense Wall. Bottom: Cambron crew installing the last of the cap tiles. Photo by Mike Imwalle.
On February 13th Cambron Roofing & Waterproofing arrived on site to begin installing a self-adhesive moisture barrier to the top of the concrete cap. Composition sheeting was rolled on the top of the wall before installing the tile cap. On February 17th Cambron laid the last of the tiles for the 60-foot section of wall and, for the first time since Northwest Corner construction began in 2005, visitors can appreciate the size and scale of the outer wall. This section of wall was completed thanks to generous contributions from the California Community Foundation, Williams-Corbett Foundation, Jackson Family Foundation, and the Ahmanson Foundation.
In the coming months, crews will plaster the wall and SBTHP volunteers will whitewash it. SBTHP is embarking on a major capital campaign to raise the funding necessary to complete the Northwest Corner Project. It is the primary goal of the SBTHP’s Restoration Committee to finish the Northwest Corner Project so that its completion can be celebrated in conjunction with SBTHP’s 50th anniversary in 2013.
In addition to the cost to pay for contractors to build the wall, the SBTHP must also raise money to make the adobe bricks necessary to finish the project. To date, more than 11,700 adobe bricks have been laid to build the Northwest Corner Visitor Center and the 60-foot section of defense wall. We still need 8,608 more adobe bricks to finish the job. If you would like to help support the making of 8,608 more adobe bricks to complete the project, please visit the buy-a-brick webpage here.
Mike Imwalle is the archaeologist at the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation