Two Leslie City Offices Undergoing Brick-Repair reports Chicagoland's Masonry and Tuckpointing

(EstateNewsWire.com, November 13, 2012 ) Glenview, IL -- Two Leslie City buildings will not look significantly different following facelifts.

The structures - the Leslie City Offices at at 106 E. Bellevue St. and the GAR Hall at 107 E. Bellevue St. – are made of brick, which requires a specific type of upkeep.

“We’re doing some maintenance on the buildings, mainly some tuck-pointing,” Leslie City Manager Brian Reed said. “On the GAR Hall we replaced the blocks above the windows, which were cracked and letting water in, and we did tuck-pointing of the stone.

“On the City Offices building we’re doing tuck-pointing and removing some bricks that were chipped or compromised and replacing them.”

According to Reed, tuck-pointing is essential maintenance on brick buildings.

“Over time, the mortar between the bricks will chip away; weather will eat at it, and there may be openings or cracks where water can thereby get it,” he said. “Tuck-pointing just means you’re chipping away old mortar and filling in empty voids with new mortar between the bricks.”

The buildings will not look much different after the work, said Reed. “It’s just general upkeep to keep the buildings structurally sound and looking nice.”

The City has planned the $6,000 project, including it in the budget, for some time, he added.
R&W Myers Construction Co., of Leslie, the lowest of three bidders, is performing the maintenance.

The contractor began work Oct. 15. The project could wrap up as early as next week, depending on the weather, said Bill Myers, who owns the business.

“We’ve had to block off sidewalks so it re-routed the entrance to city hall to the rear of the building for a couple of days,” Reed said. “That’s been a little bit inconvenient, but there’s not much way around it.

“We apologize for the inconvenience to our residents who might be coming in to pay bills or that type of thing, but we also want to make sure that the buildings are safe and there are no loose or compromised bricks.”
The buildings are historically significant. The City Offices building was constructed in 1887, originally as the Leslie Fire Department. In subsequent years it served as a jail and a library before city employees moved in in the 1990s.
The GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) building was constructed in 1903 as headquarters for Civil War veterans. It was later used as the Leslie Public Library and Leslie Police Department before the basement was converted to headquarters for the Leslie Historical Museum. Today, the upstairs is used for city meetings and other functions, such as elections.

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