Historic Preservation Lessons Learned

The Rise and Fall of Junction City Limestone

The Kansas Statehouse is not unique among state capitols in exploiting stone quarried within the state boundaries; what is unique is the use of two Kansas limestones for the exterior work, Junction City and Cottonwood. The facades of the Kansas Statehouse document a history of the early building stone industry in Kansas including the rise and fall of the state’s first celebrated limestone.

Penetrating the Problems of Sealing Stone Masonry

Clear, penetrating sealers and water repellants (silanes and siloxanes) have been used as masonry treatments for more than five decades. These products, sold as relatively low-cost, beneficial chemicals that claim to slow or prevent soiling, water intrusion (and the associated damage), thus reducing future maintenance. Studies regarding the short-term effect of these products on individual constituent masonry components are available. But the long-term impact of their application to building assemblies are not well documented.