Historical Landmarks

AAA ECO-BLASTING COMPANY

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AAA ECO-BLASTING COMPANY

HISTORICAL LANDMARKS

THE PALACE OF THE GOVERNORS, AUGUST 2008
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

    In the summer of 2008, the team at AAA Eco-Blasting Company received a call from a notable New Mexico paint contracting firm. They were set to begin their part of the work on a major restoration project. Their question to us was simple: “Would we be interested in participating in an important reconstruction and preservation initiative at The Palace of the Governors on The Plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico?” Absolutely.

The Palace of the Governors
Santa Fe, New Mexico

The Palace of the Governors is the oldest, continuously used public building in the United States. With The Print Shop and Bindery (otherwise known as the Palace Print Shop or, formally, The Press of the Palace of the Governors) having been built more than a century and a half ago (original construction on The Palace of the Governors actually began in 1610), the task of removing countless layers of paint and coatings from 160-year-old hand-hewn vigas and plank ceilings while protecting the fragile adobe walls required a delicate approach. The reputation of AAA Eco-Blasting Company preceded itself, though, and we were entrusted with providing a “sample shot” to show those overseeing the project just how effective, efficient and safe our methods are.

The AAA Eco-Blasting crew at work

Our offered results were heartily approved and we soon began our assignment in the area of concentration, specifically The Print Shop. It took a little over a week of constant, careful removal but our determination maintained the integrity of the surfaces and brought about a terrific conclusion to the work. The photos included here truly illustrate the ease with which the next restoration crew can take on their part in the refinishing of these areas.

ABOVE: BEFORE and AFTER on the 160-year-old wooden shop ceiling

BELOW: The proximity of the vigas to the adobe walls posed a challenge

The Print Shop and Bindery receives nearly 70,000 visitors annually and is still used for publishing award-winning limited edition books on the historic iron and wood hand presses. This section of The Palace of the Governors will be closed until the spring of 2009 while the restoration and preservation work continues. More information on dates, exhibits and times is readily available at www.palaceofthegovernors.org.

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THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING, NOV 2008
CARLSBAD, NEW MEXICO

Working on building exteriors has always been part of the scope of AAA Eco-Blasting Company's services but what about a circa 1890 building made of locally manufactured brick with an intricately designed iron facade? And how about scheduling this important work in the third week of November? Well, when the need for restoration work on The First National Bank Building in Carlsbad, New Mexico came to the attention of the AAA Eco-Blasting Company partners, the fact they share Carlsbad as a hometown just made it easier to become involved.

The First National Bank Building circa 1890, located on the corners
of Fox and Canal in downtown Carlsbad, New Mexico

The First National Bank Building is the first permanent structure of the original town of Eddy, now known as Carlsbad. Filled with history, it has continuously housed the local irrigation district’s offices for the past 112 years. Even official designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1965 has not fully prevented the threat of demolition on more than one occasion. This ambitious blueprint came with a $40,000 price tag in its day and, considering the desert settlement town’s remoteness in 1890, the fact it is still standing is a proud result of local efforts to keep the deteriorating structure from losing its battle with time.

Above and Below: The AAA Eco-Blasting crew working on the upper portion of the building; even from these distances, the area cleaned is very visible.

For our part, the building had several variables to be taken into account. First of all, its location is the exact center of town. Removing the old paint and other contaminants from the metal facade with a blasting hose and the appropriate media was likely going to draw a fair bit of attention. The material also had to be non-toxic and environmentally friendly as the work crews would be sharing the sidewalk with Carlsbad’s citizens. Once the logistics and approach were worked out, the rest was easy. All of the media (blasting material) that AAA Eco-Blasting Company uses is non-toxic, environmentally friendly, bio-degradable and EPA approved.

The job did provide some unexpected excitement such as a previously undiscovered bee hive and exceptionally strong winds that kept the crew's scissor lift swaying in an unwelcome rhythm! As far as the extra attention we received while on site, feel free to check the Sunday, November 23rd edition of the local newspaper, The Carlsbad Current-Argus for the front page article, "Restorers find another use for 'baking soda' ", featuring the AAA Eco-Blasting interviews granted the day prior. All in all, a most gratifying end to a challenging, worthwhile project.

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