Installing a Landmark's Hardscapes

By Ashley Harbaugh, LC/dbm

Funded by philanthropist Kate Buckingham in memory of her brother, Clarence Buckingham, the Buckingham Fountain opened in 1927 and was designated a Chicago landmark on August 30, 2000. In 2008, the Chicago Park District implemented a $25 million restoration and renovation project for the fountain. Photos Courtsey of Unilock

Renovating the hardscape of a historical landmark requires diligence and attention to detail. John Girzadas, Executive Vice President of Burling Builders, Inc., discusses overcoming challenges and working with subcontractors on the hardscape installation of the historic Buckingham Fountain in Chicago.

A historical landmark is a direct link to the history of a city and its inhabitants, so keeping an important landmark in first-rate condition is a way that the present can honor the important people and events of its past. Properly renovating a historical area means dedicating the time and hard work necessary toward honoring the landmark's significance. The Buckingham Fountain, a prominent city memorial in Chicago, underwent a major renovation process on its hardscapes.

The Chicago Park District selected and provided the pavers for the project because they wanted the fountain's restored hardscape to closely resemble its original hardscape. The Park District purchased the Eco-Priora Coral Gem pavers directly from Unilock. It took from early September 2008 to March 2009, for about 20 installers to set a total of about 300,000 pavers.

Because the Buckingham Fountain is such an important Chicago landmark, Burling Builders had to take particular care with the materials and installation. ''Buckingham Fountain was built in the 1920s and everything about it is historic- the trees, fencing, bushes, the fountain itself- so all of the work that we did out there was strictly according to the Chicago Park District standards,'' said John Girzadas, Executive Vice President of Burling Builders, Inc. Girzadas used his subcontractor F. Garcia Landscaping for some landscape contractor work, but Clauss Brothers (a company hired by the Chicago Park District) did the bulk of it.

The Centerpiece of Chicago's ''Front Yard''

The Buckingham Fountain is placed in Chicago's Grant Park, a park that is referred to as the city's ''front yard.'' The fountain was the work of architect-planner Edward H. Bennett, a significant figure in the creation and execution of the 1909 Plan of Chicago, the plan that was instrumental in the creation of lakefront amenities. Since Buckingham Fountain's opening in 1927, the fountain has been one of Chicago's most popular attractions.

Although the fountain is one of the city's most recognized landmarks, the rough winters and numerous freeze-thaw cycles have inflicted considerable damage. In 2008, the Chicago Park District implemented a $25 million restoration and renovation project for the fountain.

The Chicago Park District chose the permeable pavers not only because their color matched the fountain's original hardscape, but also because the pavers satisfied both federal guidelines for ADA accessibility guidelines and stormwater management requirements.

One of the main challenges that the paver installers faced was the paver placement. When laying the pavers, the installers started at one side of the fountain and worked halfway around it, and then started the other way. ''The pattern had to meet up when we met at the halfway point,'' said Girzadas. ''The installers did an excellent job making that work.''

Getting Started

The company in charge of the general contracting work for the Buckingham Fountain project was Burling Builders, Inc., a Chicago-based company that has been doing contractor work for about thirty years. ''We do [both] government and private commercial projects in the Chicagoland area,'' said John Girzadas, Executive Vice President of Burling Builders.

Installing the hardscapes for a historic landmark required a different approach from projects that do not have that same historical significance. ''All of the products had to be approved by the Historic Landmark Committee to make sure that they were appropriate for the project,'' said Girzadas.

Since the Chicago Park District wished for the restoration to be as close to the original fountain's work as possible, attention was paid to every detail of the project. The Park District, working with the architect of the project, selected the materials for the hardscapes before putting the public bid together. ''A lot of the material selection they were really diligent about,'' said Girzadas.

The experience and hard work of all the professionals that worked together on the hardscape installation made the project come together. ''It was definitely teamwork that made the project a success, between the architect, the Park District, F. Garcia Landscaping, Clauss Brothers, and all the different players of the project,'' said Girzadas.

The historic fence that surrounds the grass area around the fountain was painstakingly renovated. ''There was great effort that went into restoring the copper bar fencing that encircled the fountain,'' said John Girzadas. The boundary that created the barrier between the pavers and the landscaping was a custom exposed aggregate curve that had the same color and texture of the pavers, but was cast on site.

Installing the Hardscapes

The Chicago Park District purchased the permeable pavers directly from Unilock, a paving stone manufacturer. The Eco-Priora Coral Gem pavers closely matched the original fountain paving color and appearance. ''There used to be crushed granite stone chips in the plaza that were pink in color, so the pavers were intended to mimic that,'' said Girzadas. ''They [also] wanted the permeable pavers set in a manner that the eye could not easily distinguish a pattern.'' All the pavers were hand set in a 5 ft. by 5 ft. block.

One of the major difficulties of installing the hardscapes for Buckingham Fountain was working through winter. Burling Builders began the project in the first week of September 2008 and ended in March 2009, so the company did most of the project during the harsh conditions of a Chicago winter. ''I would say that working through the winter was the most difficult challenge we faced,'' said Girzadas. ''Keeping the ground thawed and the work area cleared of snow and ice so we could continue the paver operation was quite a challenge.'' To address this problem, they used ground thaw machines, which have a radiant hose system that is spread on the ground, covered with blankets and sits on the ground for 24 hours to keep everything thawed.

The Eco-Priora Coral Gem pavers from Unilock were similar in appearance to the original fountain paving color. ''There used to be crushed granite stone chips in the plaza that were pink in color, so the pavers were intended to mimic that,'' said Girzadas.

The paver base rested on was eight inches of CA1 stone, four inches of CA7 stone, and a one inch setting bed. 12,000 tons of CA1 stone were used for the project; 6,000 tons of CA7 stone; and 1,000 tons of stone for the setting bed. Vulcan Materials supplied all of the aggregate stone.

Finishing Up the Project

The experience of the professionals who installed the hardscapes was invaluable for the hardscape renovation. ''The experience of the installer of the pavers [LPS Pavement] was irreplaceable,'' said Girzadas. ''They really understood [the installation] and worked with everybody on how to do it.'' The hard work and cooperation between all the participants of the Buckingham Fountain project made the installation process successful. ''We all worked on the plan together and we all followed it,'' said Girzadas.

The Buckingham Fountain's renovation ensures that future generations of Chicago residents and tourists will continue to enjoy this piece of the city's history.