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August 6, 2012
A Few of Our Favorite Things: Crenellations
The following is a guest post by historic preservation intern Alison Chiu.
The field of historic preservation is full of unanticipated treasures!
Left: The unique crenellations enhance the intricate pattern of the stenciled cornice and columns, as well as details of the tile work at the Playhouse façade. Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Honolulu, Hawai’i. (Photo: Alison Chiu, 2012.) Right: The foundation of the Playhouse was laid in 1937, and the basic structure was complete by winter of that year. The crenellations, not pictured here, were added to the roofline during the spring of 1939. Shangri La Historical Archives, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Honolulu, Hawai’i.
I recently began the broad task of creating an inventory of Shangri La’s on-site and stored architectural elements. Working with Operations Manager Bill Miyaji, we began by diving into years of accumulated architectural storage in the basement. Amidst piles of bronze door hardware and long-abandoned projects of partially carved white marble, we stumbled upon many treasures including an unmarked black bag of trefoil-design ceramic picket tiles (the likes of which currently line the edge of bougainvillea and hibiscus beds at the central courtyard and along the swimming pool), as well as a 1938 Leonard thermostatic mixing valve, an operating device designed to mix water from two separate supply lines in order to provide a user-controlled shower temperature as desired. Our most exciting find, however, was a pile of dusty, old wooden block forms.
Ten large wooden pieces, measuring approximately 1 foot by 2-1/2 feet and 3 inches thick, were inconspicuously stacked upon a shelf along with a jumble of smaller wood pieces, almost resembling toys, piled on top. We were intrigued by the distinct sharp, curved lines of the larger items. As we looked more closely and began to lay a couple pieces out on the ground, it became apparent that we had found original formwork that was used to make the concrete crenellations that decorate the Playhouse roof! These wooden pieces date back to 1939 and are still in very good condition today.
Left: Concrete was poured into this wooden formwork, troweled off to make the top surface level, and left to cure before removing the formwork and inset pieces to produce an ornament like the ones seen in the right image. Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Honolulu, Hawai’i. (Photo: Alison Chiu, 2012.) Right: Concrete crenellations adorn the parapet walls, seen here at the Playhouse makai roof. Each individual crenellation that adorns the Playhouse mauka and makai roofs was handcrafted on-site in 1939. Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Honolulu, Hawai’i. (Photo: Alison Chiu, 2011.)
In 1938, the Cromwells traveled to Isfahan, Iran, and brought back photographs of the Chihil Sutun, a pavilion built in the middle of the seventeenth century during the reign of Shah Abbas II. This pavilion served as an inspiration for the Playhouse. The façade of the Playhouse, which sits along a major visual axis of the site, depicts a series of elongated columns and intricately stenciled designs at the cornice and ceiling of the main portico and is mirrored in the clear blue reflection of the saltwater swimming pool. Historically, the Playhouse served as quarters for guests of the Cromwells, and as a recreation area for army and navy officers stationed in Hawai‘i during World War II.
Left: Two complimentary pieces of wooden formwork, used for the production of the corner crenellated ornament at the Playhouse. Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Honolulu, Hawai’i. (Photo: Alison Chiu, 2012.) Right: Close-up view of a corner crenellation at the makai roof of the Playhouse. Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Honolulu, Hawai’i. (Photo: Alison Chiu, 2011.)
Not only are the recently discovered formwork pieces interesting from an architectural and construction technology perspective (potentially providing information about historic practices in the concrete industry, as well as methods of ornamental concrete production and availability of local building materials), they are also indispensable tools that may prove useful if additional crenellations need to be made in the future.
That exciting moment of discovery, as well as contact with the tangible product of an experienced craftsperson, is always a humbling experience and one of the most rewarding aspects of being involved in historic preservation. We invite you to visit Shangri La and discover the beauty of art, landscape, and architecture yourself!
About the Guest Author
A recent graduate of the Master of Science program in Historic Preservation at Columbia University, Alison Chiu is currently working as a consultant to the Foundation (June-September, 2012). Following her 2011 summer internship at Shangri La, Chiu is currently developing a system to adequately record Shangri La’s intensive stewardship efforts through capital projects, building operations and grounds work for present and future staff and researchers. Her research and documentation include creation of a cyclical repair and maintenance plan for the site, as well as co-collaboration on institutional archives policy for Shangri La’s newly-created historic preservation materials library. While at Columbia University, she conducted research on historic wall drainage systems and will present an illustrated lecture on her graduate thesis work, The Evolution of the Weep-Hole, at the 2012 Association for Preservation Technology Conference in Charleston, South Carolina.