By Brian CHERNICK
The steps to Glendale City Hall are getting a make-over after Glendale City
Councilmembers voted to remove and replace the 75-year-old entry way steps with brand new concrete.
The Dept. of Public Works and its staff prepared a report for council, advising it to allow the rehabilitation of the steps after numerous attempts to repair the stairs have failed. The original concrete steps began showing signs of age with cracking and missing sections. The study described the condition as “more aesthetic than structure” but suggested that the degradation of its structural integrity is ongoing and safety would eventually need to be addressed.
Concerns regarding the historical significance of the building led some residents to contact councilmembers, including Paula Devine, to ensure the restoration remain true to its original design.
“My question to you simply is are we following Secretary of Interior’s standards of rehabilitation?” Devine asked director of Public Works Roubik Golanian. “Is there anyway we can save the steps and just patch them?”
“Is there anyway to save the steps? No,” Golanian replied.
Despite several attempts to repair them, Golanian and his department concluded that the steps were “not salvageable” and considered them a “safety concern.”
Public Works reportedly contacted four concrete specialists, all of whom stated that the steps would ultimately need to be removed as “Band-Aid” repairs would eventually become insufficient.
The department enlisted the services of Barbara Hall, P.E. Inc. to provide design and engineering services and has promised to follow all the applicable requirements for historical rehabilitation.
According to Golanian, Hall has worked on historically significant projects.
The rounded front of the steps — a design called bullnose — will be replicated in the new steps in order to maintain the same look and feel as the original. The railings, which had been replaced during a previous project, will be refurbished and placed back during the restoration.
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