M.C. ESCHER'S MEZZANINE AT THE QVC

M.C. Escher self-portrait 1929

M.C. Escher was a famous 20^th century Dutch graphic artist known  for images that examine issues of perspective and the representation of three-dimensional images in a two-dimensional picture.

Relativity, one of Escher's most famous pieces of art. It's a picture one can hang any side up!

One of his most famous works is Relativity, with its six stairways all seen from different perspectives at the same time. Technically, there are actually three sources of gravity in the drawing, each being orthogonal to the two others. Each of the 16 people lives in one of the gravity wells, where normal physical laws apply. As a result two inhabitants can use the same stairway in the same direction and on the same side, but each using a different face of each step; thus, one descends the stairway as the other climbs it, even while moving in the same direction nearly side-by-side. If this seems confusing, well it’s intended to be. You can explore this theme more on line at references (1) and (2). "This is all very arcane and mildly amusing" you might say "but what the hell does this have to do with the QVC project?"

We are continuing building the framework for the indoor ramp and second floor mezzanine. The latter will extend the entire length of the building. You’ll enter at the east end, get a spectacular panoramic view of the quarry face as you walk along the upper mezzanine, and at the west end take the ramp down to the lower level exhibits.

However, as can be seen in these photos, the front part of the mezzanine frame is built inside the scaffolding frame that is holding up the huge plywood box enclosing and protecting the quarry face. Um, how did this happen you ask? Before you go spouting off about “typical of government work” let me assure you that there is a method to our madness.

Careful readers will have noticed that what I wrote above is that we are building the frame for the mezzanine. The new mezzanine is wider than the old one and will bring people closer to the bone deposit. The scaffolding cannot be partially dismantled for the mezzanine construction because the integrity of the entire protective structure would be compromised. As a result, the front of the frame was constructed within the scaffolding.

So the strategy is to build the framing first, including that part that sits inside the scaffolding, and then put its completion on hold until after the glass walls are completely installed and the inside of the building is protected from the elements. Then the scaffolding and the plywood sarcophagus will be dismantled and the decking and railing can be installed and the mezzanine completed. In the interim, the intertwined frame and scaffolding will just have a, well, “Escher- like” quality about it.

Photos:
Escher self-portrait and Relativity from references 1 and 2 below.
Other photos: NPS.

References

(1)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relativity_%28M._C._Escher%29

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._C._Escher

STEEL AND CONCRETE ORTHOPEDICS

As you may recall, constant readers, one the most spectacular, and fear inducing, problems of the Quarry Visitor Center was the east glass wall (see my previous post Inside the QVC Part III The Wall of Death Saturday, March 20, 2010). The huge glass wall on the east side of the building had pulled off its foundation and was hanging by the welds at the top.

When the vertical steel beams of the east wall pulled off the foundation, the attachment bolts and the concrete of the foundation were irreparably damaged. The beams were removed in order to get the 28,000 pound crane out of the building. The repair of the foundation was scheduled for later in the project. That time has finally arrived.

Repairing the serious damage to the bolts and concrete was more than just patching some cracks --- major surgery was required. Concrete saws cut away a large area around each damaged beam support. Plywood forms were built and put in place, threaded steel rods positioned, and concrete poured.

The three replaced support areas, easily visible, will provide new and stable bases which the steel beams will be bolted to when they are reinstalled. Once the beams are in, the glass which will form most of the wall can be put in.  For the first time in decades one will be able to stand by this magnificent wall of glass without thinking about Damocles.

Photos: NPS

BIG LOVE FOR THE QUARRY VISITOR CENTER

For those of you not familiar with it, Big Love is a HBO hit original series focusing on the travails and tribulations of a polygamist Mormon family living in the Wasatch Front and their extended families in the polygamist compounds elsewhere in the state. So, by virtue of its storyline it is  a very Utah centric series.

In tonight’s episode, Bill Henrickson, the main male character, is chatting with a close business associate who tells him he is taking off a few days to go ice fishing at Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Bill responds by saying that since Flaming Gorge is in the area, he should stop by Dinosaur National Monument --- they have a brand new Visitor Center and his son went there and loved it.

Well the Visitor Center isn’t nearly completed yet, but this is Big Love’s fifth season and its last. It will be off the air by the time we open. So thanks for the plug, even if it is a tad early.

A NOTABLE MOMENT

Demolition of the two story Rotunda building. Tearing down the long, curving entrance ramp. Pulling the 28,000 pound crane out through the windowless east side of the building.  Raising and lowering the existing steel beams to make the south wall level (for the first time in 50 years). Yes, we have witnessed some amazing events during the Quarry Visitor Center project. However, we just had a notable moment, notable not because of its spectacle, but rather because it simply marks the beginning of a significant new phase in the project.

A level dirt floor and ramp footer.  In the distance a construction worker compacts soil.

Recently the crews have started to put up the steel for the indoor ramp. The old QVC had a set of stairs connecting the upper and lower galleries inside the building. This was part of the handicap access problem of that building --- an outside ramp too steep and only stairs inside. The new QVC, with its properly sloped ramps, will allow everyone to pass through the building and get to any part of the exhibits.

With the dirt inside the skeleton of the QVC leveled, the ramp has started to go up --- footers were poured, steel beams anchored to the footers, and the framework welded to the steel beams of the building itself. This might be easily passed over as just another step in the project, but it is notable because for the first time we are building something inside the QVC. This is a moment that seemed would never arrive. We can finally see the finish line on the horizon --- although the snow and ground fog makes it a bit hard to pick out.

Photos: NPS.

THE RETURN OF THE ABATEMENT MONSTER

Many monsters never really go away. For example, over a series of three films the Creature from the Black Lagoon returned over and over, and became more human in looks and biology with each new movie. Probably the greatest monster resurrection of all time is that of Lieutenant Ellen Ripley and the Aliens from the planet Acheron. After plunging into a processing vat of molten metal on the planet Fiorina 'Fury' 161, a foundry facility and penal colony in Aliens 3, both she and the monsters are cloned and brought back to life aboard the spaceship USM Auriga some 200 years later in Alien Resurrection. Well, the Quarry Visitor Center is haunted by a number of engineering and construction monsters, but the one that never seems to go away is hazardous material abatement.

Extensive abatement was needed for fiberglass, asbestos, and lead paint before the demolition of the office wing, rotunda, and exhibit areas could even begin in the old QVC (see my previous posts Hidden Dangers [Wednesday, April 21, 2010] and Asbestos [Friday, June 18, 2010]).

Lead paint abatement continues to be required whenever beams are to be cut or steel parts welded together and most of the remaining steel beams in the building are coated by that lead rich 1950s and 1960s paint. And with construction moving forward and steel finally being put up, abatement has again raised its head.

 

Extensive welding is being done as part of the building of the entrance ramp and another ramp inside the building that connects the upper and lower galleries. Both structures need to be welded to lead paint covered steel beams.


 

The beams of the north wall of the Quarry Visitor Center --- a place where the sun never shines.

 Unexpectedly, recently completed new studies suggest that the north wall of the building needs additional reinforcement, so steel plates and connecting beams will be welded to each of the 10 beams in that part of the structure. And, of course, those beams are coated in that lovely pink and brown lead based paint.

To further complicate matters the lead abatement is being done using chemical strippers. When the chemicals are applied the paint softens, separates from the steel, and can be scrapped in large soft sheets into plastic bags. Well that’s how it works most of the time. But the effectiveness of the chemical strippers is temperature dependent. And right now the temperature is not always cooperative.

When the sun is shining directly on the beams the chemicals work fine. However, once in the shade they are less effective. As the temperatures plunge, they may not work at all. With February being the most disagreeable month here, as far as sub-zero temperatures are involved, the abatement can take longer than hoped for. And the need for unexpected abatement on the north side, where there is little direct sunlight, promises further frustration and some slowing down in the schedule. However, this is in keeping with the history of the QVC project ---- many surprises, few of them pleasant.

Photos: NPS (with the obvious exception of  Ripley and her Alien inquisitor).

AND WE’RE BUYING A STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

 One of the best known architectural elements of the previous Quarry Visitor Center was the snake-like entrance ramp running from the parking lot, sensuously wrapping itself along the outside of the Rotunda, and providing an entrance to the second floor of the building. This was a clever design for when entering the building the visitor was struck dumb by the spectacular overview of the entire cliff face. It was a great piece of drama and quite effective. Visitors came expecting to see mounted skeletons and instead were confronted by a vision that both awed and raised questions as to how this mass of bones come to be.

Being built in 1958, the ramp predated handicap access issues and code. That is plainly seen in photos of the original ramp, which shows a short series of steps at its base. At some later date the stairs were removed and the bottom of the ramp sloped. To visitors the ramp was deceptive. It appeared to be handicap access but the slope was much too steep and unsafe for wheelchairs.

With the design of the new QVC we wanted to retain that original majestic entrance and introduction to the cliff. But with no Rotunda to wrap around, a different solution was needed. The new design calls for a long ramp running along the south side of the building, with one switchback, to bring it to the second floor. While the ramp seems long, it is well within requirements for handicap access.

After the concrete south wall was poured and completed, its foundation was still exposed in a deep trench well below ground level. So the first step was to fill in the trench and then slope it up to the south wall. The soil fill needed to be solid, so after filling the trench the soil was compacted.

One tool was the standard handheld powered compactor. That’s a pretty jarring piece of equipment to use, but it allows one to work right up to the foundation.

A second piece of equipment was a larger, more powerful, remotely controlled compactor that was run by an operator using a control box with a joystick. This machine moved back and forth, compacting wider swaths of the soil.

With the soil compacted ramp construction could begin. The components were brought to the site. At present the frame of the upper part of the ramp has been built, installed on the footings, and welded into place. The lower part will be installed later in construction, as vehicles are still driving and working over the spot where that ramp segment will go.

Yes, I realize that this is a ramp and not a stairway, but given the opacity of Led Zeppelin’s song lyrics, I feel my title is not too much of a stretch.

Photos: NPS

BOYLE AND THE FIRST MUSEUM

1. A.C. Boyle in Dinosaur's first museum

Dr. A.C. Boyle was a “geologist and engineer” with a Ph.D. in geology from Columbia University in NYC.  Before coming to Dinosaur, he spent 10 years as the Chief Geologist for the Union Pacific Railroad and 10 years on the faculty at the Wyoming School of Mines. In 1933 he began supervision of a public works project at the Monument to remove rock overburden to expose the bone-bearing sandstone layer, but not to excavate dinosaur bones. He was designated Acting Custodian for the Monument in July 1935 and remained such until he left when the Monument was greatly expanded in size in 1938.

Boyle was by all accounts a remarkable individual and well matched for the job. He was “a unique personality who carried out his activities at the quarry with a high degree of personal devotion and intimate enthusiasm.” He was certainly dedicated to public education, likely a result of his years at the Wyoming School of Mines. Daily, from 7:30-9:00 PM, Boyle “held classes for the [work]men, discussing geology, mineralogy, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and other academic subjects and illustrating his lectures with lantern sides and blackboard drawings.” On Saturdays he took fifty to sixty workers on geological field trips around the area. He even “encouraged the [work]men, many of them almost derelicts before they arrived at the camp, to compose songs and write poetry…” that was so good that “…it was almost unbelievable that those men had written it.” At his own cost he had a set of photographs of the Monument printed up for each worker. As a result of this, morale among the workers was very high and they were exceptionally dedicated to the project.

For several years Boyle taught a number of courses in geology, mineralogy, physical geography, and the geology of the National parks through the University of Utah extension campus in Vernal. He also spoke to Boy Scouts, civic organizations, business groups, radio stations, visiting scientists, and politicians.

2. 1935 or earlier photo with Boyle's white tent at the site of the future first museum (see 3 below).  It is unclear if the white objects in front of the tent are the tables with exhibit rocks and fossils.

3. Dinosaur's first museum (building in the center)

But he was particularly enthusiastic about talking with the general visiting public at the Monument. As roads improved and access became easier, the number of visitors soared and included students, citizens, and scientists from around the world. Boyle, and some of his trained work staff, provided talks, blackboard sketches, and tours of the site for everyone, whether a small family of a large tour group. These activities were done not only during the normal workweek, but after hours, on the weekends, and at more unusual times. “In not a few instances, the traveling public has been taken to the quarry site, and shown the place, by lamp light.” The intent of all these activities was that every visitor should leave with a full understanding of the dinosaurs, the Carnegie Quarry, and the geology of the Monument. The program was a spectacular success.

4. The museum in winter

Boyle also shared Douglass’s passion about developing a museum enclosing the Carnegie Quarry and showing the dinosaur bones just as they were buried long ago. However, since the project he was overseeing neither exposed bones systematically nor was to construct a building over the site, Boyle had to develop other kinds of exhibits.

5. Fossils in the storage room in the museum

6. The main lecture room in the museum. Note the crystal structure models hanging from the ceiling and the photos of local geology on the wall under the dinosaur posters.

7. Visitors in the museum

In 1934 Boyle was living with his wife in a one-room tent. Outside the tent there were several tables with fossil bones and geological specimens that could be viewed by visitors. However, outside storage of the specimens was also damaging them. So in July 1936 a large storage building/museum was erected which housed several tons of specimens, although some tables with specimens were also located in front of it. In addition to fossils and rocks, the building held charts, crystal models, photographs, models, and served as a lecture hall for interpretive programs. During the summer it was open from 6:00AM to 10:00 PM, but with the coming of colder winter weather, the hours for this unheated facility were shortened to 7:00 am – 6:00 pm. Boyle also borrowed a number of large dinosaur bones from the Uintah Basin Industrial Convention for exhibition at the Monument.

8. Visitors examining geological specimens in front of the museum.

So while the fulfillment of Douglass’s dream of a Quarry Museum was still two decades away, the remarkable enthusiasm of Dr. Boyle produced a program of visitor services that included public talks, guided tours, and exhibits of dinosaur bones, traditions that we still follow today. He also was an unflagging supporter and proponent of the museum and Monument and was as at ease talking about things geological with Boy Scouts as well as politicians and world renowned scientists. And all this was done while he was directing the exposure of the bone bearing sandstone layer that would ultimately be enclosed within the long sought Visitor Center.

All passages in quotation marks in this blog are from Beidelman 1956.

A Note on Sources

Much of this blog is based on R.G. Beidelman’s report Administrative History, Dinosaur National Monument. This fascinating report is the best summary of the history of the Carnegie Quarry between its discovery and 1956, much of which has never appeared in print. It contains abundant quotes from correspondence, newspapers, etc. and provides complete citations to where these documents can be found in the National Archives. Although it is in an unpublished internal report, it is available on-line from the National Park Service at http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/dino2/adhi.pdf. It is an interesting read.

References

Beidelman, R.G. 1956. Administrative History, Dinosaur National Monument. Unpaginated. (available on line at: http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/dino2/adhi.pdf)

Photos

Uintah County Library: 1, 3, 4, 6
University of Utah: 5, 7, 8
NPS: 2