Consistent with the Town’s mission to preserve our community’s unique history, Town Facilities staff recently completed the Silver King Brick Replacement Project, which replaced dozens of deteriorating bricks on the building’s rear wall facing Padilla Park.
In January, staff notified town management of the damage, which had worsened in recent months, and received approval to gather quotes from qualified contractors. Regarding the cause of the damage, Facilities Manager Tom Celeya said “The deterioration appears to have been caused by a combination of environmental factors and the softer red brick used on many buildings from that era including the Silver King”.
To ensure the building was not only repaired but restored to historical standards, Facilities staff reached out to Pinal County to acquire brick dating back to the hotel’s construction which was used to rehabilitate the Second Pinal County Courthouse in 2012. Additionally, the Town used the same mortar formula utilized by the courthouse’s architect and also conducted compression testing to ensure the mortar would not damage the Silver King’s existing brick.
The Brick Replacement Project involved selecting some of the more critical areas of deterioration, mostly located on the west side of the building, although repairs were also made to one of the ornamental merlons on the top, east side of the building. The project was completed by Kinella Construction, who also performs work as TK Stratton Construction. The Town has partnered with this contractor on a variety of repair and restoration projects over the years.
The Silver King Brick Replacement Project began on Saturday, February 5th and was completed on Wednesday, February 16th. The project’s total cost came in at $9,609.60. As the Silver King continues to age, staff will continue to monitor the building’s status to ensure this structure and the Town’s cherished past are preserved.
To view the project’s before and after pictures, please visit the link below: