ARG Conservation Services

🕯️ On the campus of is a statue of a saint who embraced poverty, charity, animals, and the environment. On this Gun Violence Awareness Day, we’re taking time to reflect on peace and safety, through Beniamino Bufano’s “St. Francis of the Guns.”

Bufano’s sculpture, composed of steel, bronze, and ceramic tile on concrete, is a nearly 9-foot-tall metal sculpture of Saint Francis of Assisi, with his arms spread in peaceful greeting. On the lower torso, a mosaic depicts four assassinated American leaders (John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Abraham Lincoln) above a children’s choir. The sculpture was dedicated by Mayor George Moscone, who was himself assassinated 18 months afterwards. Allegedly, Bufano created the sculpture from 2000 handguns obtained by San Francisco’s Mayor Joseph Alioto’s voluntary gun turn-in program in 1968, blending bronze with steel to protect the metal from corroding in the city’s foggy weather.

ARG/CS was contracted by to perform treatments to address general soiling, staining, and corrosion of the bronze due to weathering, bird guano, and deteriorated mortar joints in the tile mosaic. The entire statue was cleaned with detergents. Pigmented and clear hot wax treatments were applied to the metal to integrate the statue’s natural patina, and to protect the surface and make it shine. The colorful tile mosaic was regrouted, cracks in the concrete base were filled, and the entire base was repainted. As a final step, an anti-graffiti coating was applied to the entire structure.

This statue stands as a memorial to our lost leaders, and as a reminder of both the artist’s and St. Francis’s message to embrace one another, and to spread peace and healing.

Resources for victims and survivors of gun violence are available on the Support Fund website.

Helping to keep the face of one of San Francisco’s sacred spaces as vibrant and strong as the community within. ❤️‍🔥

⛪ Designed by architect Henry Geilfuss, St. Marks () was the largest German church in California when it was dedicated in 1895. This beautiful red brick building was constructed blending Romanesque style and Gothic elements, and has survived earthquakes, fires, and encroaching development. ARG/CS recently completed exterior restoration work to maintain the building’s historic charm.

🧱 One of the major components of this project was comprehensive exterior masonry repairs to care for the brick and cement facade. Areas with failing mortar were grinded out and repointed with a mortar mix of cement, lime, sand, and red pigment to match the historic mortar. On the ground level, the cement parge coat was applied on top of brick. In areas of cracking and flaking, our team cleaned the surface and drilled out the failing cement and re-covered the original brick with a new color-matched cement to create a smooth surface.

The slate roof, which was last replaced in 2006, was repaired and shingles replaced as needed. The team also replaced damaged and missing ventilation grilles with custom-fabricated new ones. Window restoration work, including broken glass replacement, helped to keep the church’s stained glass shining.

❣️A huge thank you to .create and for their collaboration on this project!

⭐Looking out to the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean beyond, this Memorial Day, we remember those that were lost during wartime and celebrate their memory.

Located in , the World War II West Coast Memorial was designed by San Francisco architects Hervey Parke Clark and John F. Beuttler and dedicated in November 1960. The curved wall of gray California granite features the names of 413 American servicepeople lost or buried at sea while serving during World War II. Landscape architect and Bay Area native Lawrence Halprin designed the Monterey pine and cypress tree-filled terrain. The site also features a bench and robed statue, representing the spirit of freedom.

When ARG/CS and were called to perform maintenance treatments, the memorial had areas of soiling, deteriorated mortar joints, and a widespread patchy appearance to the granite caused by decades of exposure to moist coastal air.

Cleaning treatments included pressure washing with warm water and applications of biogrowth and restorative gel cleaners. On areas with darker discoloration a poultice was applied.

Masonry repairs included 100% repointing of mortar joints with a mortar mix of sand, lime and cement. In skyward facing joints, deteriorated caulk was removed and replaced, and a lead cap was added to prevent future moisture intrusion. Lastly, a Dutchman repair was conducted on an area with a small missing chunk of granite. This method involved removing the damaged section, securing a matching stone in the gap with mortar and epoxy, and delicately blending the finished surfaces with potassium silicate paints.

With regular care, this monument to our nation’s servicemembers will stand looking out from the city’s rocky shoreline for years to come. 🌊🌲

🏙️ Did you know that all buildings in San Francisco 5 stories or taller are required to have a comprehensive facade inspection every 10 years?
 
ARG/CS offers facade inspection services to inform building maintenance, ensure structural stability and pedestrian safety, and help building owners care for their structures and maintain compliance with San Francisco’s Facade Inspection and Maintenance Program.
 
🧗 Through our years in business, we’ve found that scaffolding accounts for a significant cost of a project which doesn’t seem practical for a quick façade survey. To stay flexible and keep costs down, ARG/CS offers inspections via ropes and fire escapes as alternatives to traditional scaffolding and swing stages. These options allow us to customize our approach based on a building owner’s budget while taking advantage of a structure’s unique attributes.
 
And, for us, the stunning city views are just an added bonus.
 

🌍🌿 Happy Earth Day! We’re so excited to celebrate the wonderful world around us, and all the beings in it. This week, we’re highlighting a project with some gorgeous creatures that literally sits at the intersection of nature and San Francisco’s city streets.

🐻🦁 Completed by artist Melvin Earl Cummings in 1908, “Bear and Lion” are located at the intersection of 8th Avenue and Fulton Street at one of the entrances to Golden Gate Park. These sculptures sit atop stone benches on either side leading into the park.

The bronze figures were heavily soiled and stained, with little to no evidence of a preexisting protective coating. The benches also had soiling and biological growth, with areas of spalling where the stone was deteriorating, as well as open and crumbling mortar joints.

One of the first steps to revitalizing these sculptures was cleaning with gentle detergents and pressurized water, and applying treatments to remove layers of graffiti and the paint used to cover it. To protect and honor how the bronze has changed and reacted to decades of life, the bright teal patina was preserved and integrated into the sculptures’ new face by heating the metal and adding a protective wax coating.

Careful examination revealed that nearly 80% of the masonry joints were in need of attention. The stone benches were repointed with a mortar mix of sand, lime, and cement. Once this had finished curing, an anti-graffiti coating was added to the benches to prolong the life of all masonry features. With these treatments and regular maintenance, Bear and Lion will be able to exist in harmony with their surroundings, and to welcome people to Golden Gate Park for years to come. 💙💚

Thank you to for bringing us onto this project, for stewarding these beloved public spaces, and to for their collaboration!

Spring has sprung, and things are heating up! Check out our recent work keeping some of San Francisco’s fire stations looking hot 🔥🚒

❤️‍🔥 Installed in 1996, “Fire” by artist Jaap Bongers is located above the main entrance of Fire Station #24. This relief is composed of bronze letters that spell out the word “fire” in 13 different languages. When our team arrived onsite, the sculpture showed signs of soiling and corrosion, and a few of the bronze letters had become unstable. The stucco itself had abrasions, some biogrowth, and areas of loss.

To remedy these conditions, the treatment plan began with cleaning the artwork, plaque, and surrounding stucco. The letters were cleaned using conservation-grade detergents, and areas of heavy corrosion were mechanically removed with electric and hand sanding tools. A chemical patina was applied to protect the metal and add richness and depth. Finally, a protective wax coating was applied to the plaque, and a clear acrylic caulking was injected into the anchor points to stabilize the loose letters.

🩵 “Diagonal Relief,” by artist Elisabeth Saltos, is a perforated aluminum sculpture coated with a polyurethane finish, installed in 1996 at Fire Station #44. Similar to “Fire,” this sculpture showed overall soiling and pollutant accumulation on its surface, plaque, and the surrounding stucco. At some point, paint splatters and dark marks had also accumulated on the metal. Treatment involved cleaning the artwork, plaque, and surrounding stucco, and finished with a protective wax coating applied to the plaque.

Thanks to for bringing us onto these projects, and to for welcoming us into their stations!

As the Tenderloin Recreation Center completes the final stages of its redesign project, we are thrilled to share our work with and to contribute to a vibrant playscape for the local community! 🛝⛹️

These sculptures are titled “Dancing in the Sea of Milk,” and “African King with Animal Power,” and were created by Martha Heavenston in 1995, featuring artistic contributions made by the neighborhood’s children. After decades of fun and games, and wear and tear, the sculptures were in need of attention. Plans were made to remove the pieces to prepare them for conservation treatment, and to reinstall them in a different area of the rec center. Onsite, our team measured, photographed, and carefully examined the sculptures to discover the materials and assembly methods, and to determine the feasibility of the relocation plan. Based on this investigation, ARG/CS devised a comprehensive plan for the statues’ removal, storage, conservation, and reinstallation. designed new structural details for mounting the sculptures onto new concrete pads in the Recreation Center’s playground, and provided the workspace where our conservators and masons () carried out the restoration work.

The restored sculptures have now been reinstalled in a brand new spot at the Tenderloin Recreation Center — stop by to see them! Photos of the pieces in their new location courtesy of . A huge thanks to and for their collaboration on this project!