Continuing north along 17th Street towards Pennsylvania Avenue, you will see several modern granite Office buildings and the Executive Office building (formerly the State-War and Navy building), which was built from granite and completed in 1888. These granite buildings show little deterioration. Turn right onto Pennsylvania Avenue and proceed to the Renwick Galley on the northeast corner of the intersection of 17th Streets and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Renwick Gallery -- Site 12

The Renwick Gallery, made of brick and sandstone, was completed in 1859.

This building of brick and sandstone, completed in 1859, is interesting from a stone preservation point of view. The decorative sandstone panels were badly deteriorated, so in 1968 the panels were saturated with epoxy to strengthen them. This treatment actually accelerated the deterioration because when water penetrated behind the epoxy-filled area, large portions of the treated panels spalled off. A second renovation attempt was therefore necessary two years after the first, and the present panels are cast sandstone. A post of the original sandstone stands at the southeast corner of the building.

Casts of ground sandstone and epoxy replaced the original carved sandstone decorative trim at the Renwick Gallerv when a first attempt to preserve the carved stone failed.

Sites 9-14

Map of All Sites on the Tour [102 K image]