Hospital expansion update

I had to spend some time waiting at the hospital on Friday, so I wandered out to see how construction was going. The west wall has had the facade of limestone block applied so it matches the main building. I am not sure why the fake windows are there--maybe the architects thought that a blank wall would be uglier.

Most of the rest of the new expansion is still cement block, but the wall nearest the back of the hospital has scaffolding for the masons and some of the block.

I was surprised to see what the blocks looked like as they came from the quarry. One of the workers said that they create them from slabs by appling pressure at the top. Notice how the top four pieces neatly fit together. (This look of limestone blocks has been replicated in cement blocks, for example in Dwenger Hall and in quite a number of other local buildings, especially garages, built early in the twentieth century.)

Stop by Sunday for a special post.