State Theater Demo (latest photos)

[AllanY2525]

Re: The West Wall

There is a very good chance that this wall has the old, double layer construction
where real, solid brick was used for the outermost layer of the wall, and hollow
ceramic brick used for the inside layer(s).

They call this hollow, ceramic block "Speed Tile".  It was used because it could
be laid very quickly in comparison to solid brick masonry.  For buildings of this era,
Speed Tile was ubiquitous - it was VERY commonly used.

The problem with speed tile is that it becomes brittle, and often unstable with
age.  If this stuff is indeed present in the west wall of the theater, then it is
best to remove it entirely, for safety reasons.  They could cement over it, but
if it started to come apart it could cause large chunks of concrete and masonry
to fall.

They're probably going to remove the west wall until they hit the solid, outer layer
of the brickwork in the adjoing wall, then put some kind of concrete covering or
sealant over that layer of brick.

[jay]

This is what's left of the stage area of the theater.

Click on the photo for a larger view.

[Towntalk]

Demolition of State Theatre is back on track

http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/dec/26/demolition-of-state-theatre-is-back-on-track/

"The west wall touches the Morley Building, which houses Ballet Western Reserve and the Oakland Center for the Arts. Caution is required to prevent damage to the neighboring structure, said Popa."

If this is the case, why don't they just let the west wall continue to stay put, do whatever patching need to be done and even out the top so that its flush with the Morley Building?

Afterwards they could paint the wall like they did when the buildings on either side of the DeYor were torn down.

[jay]

Most of the back wall along Boardman Street has been removed.  The next building heading west is the Oakland Center for the Arts.

Click on the photo for a larger view.