Yesterday word got out on what hotel flag will be flying at 250 Delaware Avenue. Thanks to Boston Valley Terra Cotta’s blog, you can see what that flag will be attached to. Boston Valley is creating a replica of the demolished Delaware Court’s terra cotta façade that will be attached to the 12-story building that’s under construction at Delaware and W. Chippewa Street.
Boston Valley has been documenting the process of recreating the Delaware Court façade. Foit Albert Associates did a point cloud scan of the building’s façade before it was demolished. Numerous pieces of the façade were also salvaged and scanned in-house. The result is a digital 3D model that can be used for coordination between the architect, engineer and manufacturer.
Based on the 3D model, individual units that make up the facade are further refined based on manufacturing processes and anchoring requirements. According to Boston Valley, the precise geometry of each piece is created by machine, and the handcrafted detail is added by skilled artisans. The plaster model is milled and additional clay is then sculpted onto this plaster base by the artists in the shop. A white satin glaze will be used on the terra cotta blocks.
Delaware Court opened in 1917 and was designed by Lansing, Bley & Lyman Architects and demolished early last year.
Boston Valley Terra Cotta was established by the Krouse family in 1981 following the purchase of Boston Valley Pottery, a company that had been in existence since 1889. Originally a brick manufacturing facility and later a clay pot manufacturer, Boston Valley Pottery was converted to an architectural terra cotta facility by the Krouses. It has become one of the leading manufacturers of architectural terra cotta in the country with over 150 employees at its 170,000 sq.ft. facility on S. Abbott Road in Orchard Park.
Hat Tip to Matt C. for sending along the blog find.