Brighton, MA Abbot Building Restoration recently completed a repair project on the parapet walls on several one-story commercial buildings located at 1-9 N. Beacon St., 429-491 Cambridge St., and 1688-1692 Commonwealth Ave. The project was precipitated by an accident that occurred on Harvard St. where a parapet wall collapsed onto a nearby sidewalk injuring several people. 

Following this incident, the owner of these nearby buildings was alarmed by the potential of a similar incident with his properties and immediately sought to have the parapet walls of his storefronts inspected to assure safe conditions. 

Based on their reputation in masonry restoration in the Boston area, Abbot was contacted by the owner to inspect his walls, make remedial recommendations, and develop a repair plan. 

As the parapet walls on the Commonwealth Ave. buildings were severely deflected, Abbot determined that the walls had to be completely removed down to the tops of the storefronts and replaced. The scope of the project was as follows:

• Removing the original masonry brick and concrete back-up block down to the original steel supports. 

• Removing the steel and replacing it with new, galvanized steel angle iron with flashing to protect the back-up block from water intrusion. 

• Rebuilding the masonry with new back-up block and brick veneer to match the color of the original brick. 

• Finishing the tops with new pre-cast capstone.  

For the nearby properties at 1-9 N. Beacon St. and 429-491 Cambridge St. where the severity was not as extreme, Abbot repointed the parapets, replaced damaged brick, and repaired some of the pre-cast stone. In addition, on the N. Beacon St. side, Abbot coated the pre-cast stone with an elastomeric coating.

It is significant to note that the owner was so concerned about the safety issues that he authorized Abbot to initiate the Commonwealth Ave. project during the cold winter months to prevent the problem from becoming more severe. To accomplish these objectives, Abbot accommodated the owner by erecting enclosed scaffolding with heaters so that the work could begin immediately.