East Building of National Gallery of Art

National Gallery of Art Get Flynn Skin

Over the last 78 years, the National Gallery of Art East Building, designed by world renowned architect I.M. Pei, has begun to fall under duress. The pink marble panels that adorn it’s exterior have begun to loosen. This is not a flaw in design, but rather in the original construction, more specifically, in the way in which the mortar in the joints adhered the panels together rather than allowing them to float freely as was prescribed in I.M.’s design.

Sure, the move could have been made to just pull down the panels and reinstall them correctly, but instead, they have decided to use Pennsylvania Bluestone. Contractors Balfour Beatty and Smoot Construction joined forces to execute the repairs, along with masonry contractor Pagliaro-Lorton-Nardi and the design firm Robert Silman Associates, and we are honored that they have hired Flynn Stone Design & Fabrication to quarry and fabricate the over 17,000 bluestone veneers to complete the job. This will be one of the largest bluestone projects in Washington DC’s history.

Read the full article on the Washington Post’s website.