BIRMINGHAM, MICHIGAN

Project History
Birmingham City Hall was designed by noted Michigan
architect Marcus Robinson Burrowes. Deicing salts caused
the deterioration of existing limestone at the foundation,
the marred perimeter stones were at eye-level height and
obvious to pedestrians. Some stones required substantial
restoration and others only minor surface treatment.
Furthermore, the limestone had a bush hammer texture
that needed to be recreated. Matrix, a trowel applied
cement-based repair mortar that is also resistant to deicing
salts, was selected as the material for the deeper patchwork.
The contractor color matched Matrix to the original limestone.
Deteriorated sections were cut out, removed, and repaired
with the customized Matrix. MIMIC TR, a brush applied
cementitious repair mortar designed for thin repairs,
was used where the removal of stone was not necessary.
Both Matrix and MIMIC TR were ingeniously textured
with a hair pick to replicate the sought-after bush hammer
effect and blended the old with the new.

Time Frame – 2006

Contractor
Boss Construction
Co., Inc.,
Ecorse, MI

Distributor
Barnes & Sweeney
Enterprises Inc.,
Walled Lake, MI