After 30 years in the Texas weather and several occasions as the target of vandalism, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza was showing its age. The Memorial was in need of serious conservation, and The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, in cooperation with Dallas County and the City of Dallas, stepped forward.

   The restoration and preservation process, directed by the architect of record Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects, New York, and implemented by Corgan Associates, Inc., included several specific activities, such as:

   Patching concrete was applied to cracks and chips in the pre-cast concrete panels and to areas where steel reinforcing had become exposed. Key to this process was incorporating cement and aggregate colors to match the original concrete.

   Some of the neoprene gaskets were hanging between pre-cast panels. New gaskets were used to replace old cracking and missing gaskets between the pre-cast panels.

   Granite slabs and panels had to be restored by honing and other techniques, including replacement. New gold leaf was applied to the letters in the name John Fitzgerald Kennedy on the black granite slab in the middle of the memorial.

   Many of the recessed lights in the bottom edge of the pre-cast panels were not working and had to be repaired.

   The tops of the walls were coated with a Neogard elastomeric urethane coating to protect the concrete walls.

   The sidewalks, generally in good condition, were cleaned and the sidewalk movement joints were resealed.

   The black coating had come off four drains around the black granite slab in the middle of the monument. They were repainted with a paint designed to adhere to a bronze substrate in a foot-traffic environment.

   When he saw the announcement in the newspaper that bids were being sought for preservation services to the Kennedy Memorial, Dale Sellers decided that his company, Phoenix I Restoration and Construction, Ltd., should submit a proposal. He visited the monument in preparation to write the bid.

   His reaction surprised him. "It had been 10 years since I had been at the Memorial," he recalls. "It hit me when I went inside that I wanted to be involved. I was bothered by what I saw. I was kind of embarrassed by … the condition of the Memorial."

   After Sellers related his experience to his co-workers, partner Alan Odom suggested that Phoenix I donate their restoration services to the Memorial project-an estimated cost of $80,000. Acknowledging their participation as an important contribution to the community, Phoenix I made the decision to work pro bono. This service had a positive effect on their staff, too. Some 38 Phoenix I employees contributed an estimated 1,200 work-hours of their time to the Memorial project.

   When he contacted other companies to enlist their related services, equipment and materials, Sellers found them eager to assist. These donors include: Architectural Concrete Services (concrete restoration), MarbleLife (marble restoration), Slocum Electric, Inc. (electrical restoration), United Rentals Aerial Equipment (aerial lifts), Hotsy Equipment Company (pressure washing equipment), Neogard, Division of Jones Blair (waterproofing materials), Pecora (caulking materials), Sika Corporation (anti corrosive materials) and ProSoCo, Inc. (project photographer).

   According to Sellers, the Kennedy Memorial should be in better shape now than ever before, thanks to preservation techniques and materials that were not available 30 years ago. Now under a new maintenance contract with The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Phoenix I will ensure upkeep of the Kennedy Memorial on a continuing basis.

By Bob Porter, Director of Communications