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10 | January 2024 Slippery Rock Gazette
Using Locally Sourced Limestone to Add Structure and Strength to Historic Building Projects
Julia Manglitz, AIA, LEED AP, APT RP, has worked on several building types throughout her career: county court- houses, state capitols and office buildings, university campus halls and community centers. What makes each of these public buildings unique is they’re all landmarks in their communities. Another thing each of them has in common? Almost all feature locally or regionally-sourced natural stone.
Manglitz began her work in Kansas, where limestone is plentiful. As a result, most of the older heritage and iconic buildings showcase local limestone. The featured proj- ects were completed during her tenure as an associate principal of historic preservation at TreanorHL. She recently transitioned to senior architect with Quinn Evans.
Stone is One of the Original Regional Materials
As an architect focused on historic pres- ervation, Manglitz works with natural stone often. Stone has been used often through- out history for its durability and because it is fireproof. Manglitz notes that natural stone structures were also lower maintenance than wooden structures that required frequent repainting.
As westward expansion began and immi- grants from Germany, Sweden, Italy, England, and Ireland settled in or passed through states like Kansas, many brought with them a history of stonework and masonry. An abundance of usable stone in relatively modest sizes available in quar- ries throughout the Midwest made it easy to source and use.
“There were various times of groups mov- ing through. Some settled, some kept mov- ing, but there were generally people around who understood what good material looks like, how to get it out of the ground, and how to get it shaped and put into buildings,” Manglitz says.
The Case for Regional Natural Stone
Kansas is known for its limestone. Manglitz notes that one of the most well- known stones is Cottonwood limestone, a light gray-to-cream-colored fine-grained limestone. Cottonwood is the main fac- ing material for many buildings on the University of Kansas and Kansas State
by Megy Karydes
Reprinted Permission UseNaturalStone.org Photos Courtesy TreanorHL
Manglitz assessed sixty stone buildings on the Kansas State University campus in the summer of 2019. The buildings ranged in age from 20 to 143 years old; the study identified life-safety and water infiltration issues to help the University prioritize and plan façade repairs. Holton Hall (pictured here) was constructed in 1900 using Kansas Cottonwood and Junction City limestones. Photo credit TreanorHL.
The Kansas Statehouse exterior masonry restoration, completed in 2011, required over 7,000 dutchman repairs varying in size from a few pounds to several thousand. The façade features four types of limestone and seven granite, dating from the original construction to subsequent repairs. The project received a 2018 Tucker Design Award.
Photo credit Aaron Doughtery/TreanorHL.
University campuses as well as much of the Kansas State Capitol.
Another local stone is Silverdale, a creamy limestone with gold color tones often used in split face veneer stone applications and cut limestone applications due to its tight grain and lack of holes or pits.
“One of the more interesting stones that we run into a lot at Kansas State University is something called Neva, which is a slightly higher density limestone,” Manglitz adds. “It’s good for rough ashlar work and rock faced finishes.”
Neva is often mixed with Cottonwood, which is softer and can take a tooled finish.
Historic Preservation and Natural Stone
While limestone is readily available throughout the Midwest, Manglitz notes sourcing can still be challenging for his- toric preservation projects, since blocks are not always actively quarried in the same size that were originally used on a building.
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