ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, June 18, 1996 TAG: 9606180048
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRISTOPHER L. BOYD STAFF WRITER
PRESIDENT WADE POLLARD re-creates the lost art of pre-cast concrete carvings.
What Wade Pollard does for a living is considered by many to be a lost art.
Yet he says there's growing demand for architectural decoration created from pre-cast concrete, and pieces he did for Roanoke's Jefferson Center and other projects recently earned him recognition from area architects.
Pollard is president of Architectural Concrete Products Inc., which this spring won the Craftsmanship Award from the Blue Ridge Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Pollard and the company were cited for several decorative works around the Roanoke Valley but especially for the replacement of worn stonework as part of the renovation of the former Jefferson High School. In concrete, Pollard duplicated carvings around the old school's main entrance.
Modernizing the school into offices for a nonprofit organization and other uses required Pollard to duplicate a carving of a shield with torches. The original carving has been part of the entrance facing Campbell Avenue since the structure was built in 1923.
Pollard's work was installed above the Jefferson Center's new main entrance on Luck Avenue, said Richard Rife, architect for the renovation.
Pollard's specialty is carving in wood and clay. He creates three-dimensional objects based on a design captured in a drawing or photo. Then he and co-workers at the Daleville company create a rubber mold from his sculpture, fill it with a concrete mixture, and wait for it to dry and take shape. After the concrete has dried around the wood or clay, rough spots are smoothed and the object is ready to install.
To re-create existing objects, Pollard has to measure the old object, take pictures to use as a guide, plus gather samples of the stone to ensure an exact match in terms of size, shape and color. On the Jefferson Center, "there was a great degree of effort required to get the information for the job," said James Semones of Thor Inc., the $3.35 million renovation's general contractor.
"They knew what it took to make those pieces back then; therefore, they know what angles to take to duplicate those things today."
While carving architectural detail from stone is nearly a lost art, creating it from pre-cast concrete also is rare, according to Kevin Bertholf, vice president of Architectural Concrete Products.
Bertholf said he knows of only six or so other companies in the field on the East Coast, three of which are in Virginia. Those are Exposaic of Fredericksburg, Seaboard Concrete Products in the Richmond area and Shocky Brothers in Winchester. Architectural Concrete Products often shares large projects with the other Virginia companies.
Architectural Concrete Products owner Barry Sarver said there are a lot of pre-casters, but not architectural pre-casters, noting the distinction is in the ability to create works in detail and finish the surfaces. Architectural pre-casting also requires a lot of equipment, and the attention to detail makes it more expensive. He estimates that the project at the Jefferson Center costs more than $140,000.
Pollard said not many people these days want to take time to learn this type of work. "Everybody is in such a hurry and want to do things quick. This took some time.''
Pre-cast carving dropped out of practice almost completely between the 1960s and '80s, said Jeffrey Wood of Rife and Wood Architects. "Modern architecture embraced industrial finishes with clean, smooth, glass designs. It became fairly costly, and people that were doing it stopped."
More recently, interest in restoration of historic buildings has revived demand for re-creation of old stone work.
Pollard, whose company serves customers throughout Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina, was also recognized by the AIA for his carvings at Forest Park Elementary School and his carving of "The Polo Rider" at the Salem Polo Field, among others.
"It feels good to ride around and be able to point and say, `Hey, I did that, and I did that.' That's part of the reason I enjoy this job so much," Pollard said.
Other awards presented by the American Institute of Architects at its biannual awards ceremony included an Award of Distinction, which recognized four individuals for their work in renovating the Hotel Roanoke: Roanoke City Manager Robert Herbert, the project's chairman; Thomas Robertson of Carilion Health System; Virginia Tech President Paul Torgersen; and Virginia Tech Vice President Ray Smoot.
Also, an Award of Excellence to recognize young architects and students went to Patrick Ramerez, a graduate student at Virginia Tech, and Gary Leivers of Franklin County.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: PHILIP HOLMAN Staff 1. Wade Pollard, president ofby CNBDaleville's Architectural Concrete Products Inc., stands before
Roanoke's Jefferson Center. His company made the concrete molding.
2. Unique work on the Jefferson Center shield helped win the
Craftsmanship Award from the Blue Ridge Chapter of the American
Institute of Architects. color.