With historic tax credits granted, Provenzale sent out bid packages, the first being for scaffolding from the 37th to the 52nd floor, erected by January 2006 and becoming a familiar Cleveland skyline sight. Other bid packages included painting, patching and application of liquid plastic, replacement of 16 upper and 16 lower exterior columns with fiberglass, and replacement of decorative hanging terra cotta with fiberglass shapes, according to Dave Provenzale, who is handling the Terminal Tower project for Provenzale Construction.

Though differing in detail from floor to floor, the exterior renovation was summarized by Michael Mazzocco, a structural engineer with Barber & Hoffman, in a project report.

“The biggest problem encountered was water infiltration into the building,” he wrote. “To eliminate the water infiltration, mortar joints were cut out and replaced with new mortar [in fact, points out Breiding, beginning on floor 37 and continuing to the top of the building, every joint was crowned out], various deteriorated pieces of terra cotta and stone were removed and replaced, roofs were removed and replaced, and drains were repaired and/ or replaced and cleaned. The upper portion of the tower was coated with liquid plastics. Where the terra cotta was determined to be beyond repair, all material was removed with the underlying material, either concrete or steel, being restored. Once the material was removed, the concrete was replaced, steel was cleaned and painted, and new material was installed. Based on the extent of deterioration, it was decided to either use original material, such as stone or terra cotta, or replace with fiberglass replicas duplicated from salvaged material.”

As one of the first renovation tasks, crews toiled in rarified air, performing extensive repairs on the cast-iron cupola at the base of the flagpole. As originally constructed, the cast iron served as a form for poured concrete. Over the years, the cast iron had cracked and rebar in the concrete had rusted. Workers cleaned and restored ornamental iron or replaced it with new steel cornice and coated the iron with liquid plastic, replaced the handrail, cleaned the existing metal deck and coated it with liquid plastics, and replaced all cupola windows.

New computer-controlled LED lights ring the exterior at this lofty height. The new system can be programmed for roughly 30 presets and changed remotely for events such as baseball games, football games, holidays and more. The array of colors is almost infinite and there are plans to create one setting to mirror how the building looked in the early 1950s.

Great efforts were made to prevent water penetration. Water entry over the years had resulted in damage to interior walls on lower floors. A tour revealed the layers of materials and coatings placed to watertighten the entire exterior. But the work didn’t end with façade renovation. During this renovation, all 2,050 windows in the tower are being replaced to provide better insulating qualities and mimic the originals. In addition, all exterior surfaces will have been cleaned by project’s end.