As a National Historic Landmark, the Cabildo has withstood hurricanes and the Battle of New Orleans, but when moisture damage threatened the building’s exterior, a protective coating system from Tnemec was required to help preserve this remarkable structure. “Given the historic significance of this building, the owner wanted a coating system that would perform well and last a long time,” according to Tnemec coating consultant Brandon Lomasney. “Twelve years earlier, we had used the exact same coating system on the Westin Hotel located about a half-mile from the Cabildo, so they had a good case history that they could use for reference.”
The Cabildo’s exterior substrate was power-washed at 1,500 pounds per square inch. “We didn’t want to force any moisture into the substrate,” Lomasney emphasized.
The prime coat consisted of Series 151-1051 Elasto-Grip FC, a waterborne polyamine epoxy, which is excellent as a tie-coat for specialized finishes over sound existing coatings. Elasto-Grip FC was roller-applied and topped with two coats of Series 156 Enviro-Crete, a premium waterborne acrylate. Enviro-Crete provides excellent elastomeric protection against driving rain, alternate freezing-thawing and ultraviolet light. “The job went very smoothly,” Lomasney noted. “The architect and contractor were very pleased with the coating and all aspects of the project.”
“The coating system held up very well during Hurricane Katrina,” Lomasney added. “The architect and contractor were so impressed with its performance that they used the same system on the New Orleans Mint, which is also a National Historic Landmark and the oldest surviving structure to have served as a U.S. Mint.”
Constructed from 1795 to 1799, the Cabildo served as the seat of the Spanish government in New Orleans and later as a museum. The Cabildo was the site of the Louisiana Purchase transfer ceremonies in 1803 and continued to be used by the New Orleans city council until the mid-1850s. In 1911, the Cabildo became the home of the Louisiana State Museum and in 1960 was designated a National Historic Landmark.