Commission approves terracotta repair, coating for 370 Main Street facade

The Poughkeepsie Historic District and Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve a certificate of appropriateness for repair and coating of the terracotta facade at 370 Main Street following a presentation by the applicant’s preservation architect. The commission approved the work by voice vote.

Commissioners heard from Matthew Cordell, a preservationist architect working with the building owner, who proposed repairing spalled terracotta in place and applying a protective coating manufactured by Cathedral Stone. Cordell said the product is a coating used on limestone, terracotta and marble and that he previously used it on structures on Randalls Island in New York. "My name is Matthew Cordell, and I'm a preservationist architect who's working with the owner on the, restoration and preservation scope of the terracotta, facade at, 372 Main Street," he told the commission.

Cordell described mock-ups submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office, and said the work would include color tests and small mock-ups before full application so the finish matches the existing facade. He told the commission, "We would side test all the terracotta prior to putting the coating on," and said the team would perform noninvasive sound (tapping) tests and could probe the wall assembly from the interior as part of the repair process.

During questioning commissioners and staff discussed the wall assembly and past repairs. Cordell said the terracotta is a cladding "skin" tied to backup masonry and is not a primary load-bearing wall; he described prior repointing work that staff said was done about two years ago. He and commissioners emphasized the need to confirm whether there is hidden moisture damage: Cordell noted spalling indicated freeze–thaw damage inside terracotta cells and recommended testing before coating.

Cordell also described a later, unfunded second phase to address missing raised-letter tiles in the building’s historic signage; he said replacing those custom terracotta elements would be significantly more expensive and may require fabrication by a specialist (he mentioned Boston Valley as an example). The owner, identified in the meeting as Mr. Anderson, intends to retain the building’s historic name but the commission was told there is currently not enough budget to restore the raised lettering.

The commission approved the certificate of appropriateness after the presentation. Commission staff requested that Cordell submit the mock-up images and product cut sheets to the record; Cordell agreed to email the images to staff. The approval included the condition that field testing and the mock-ups described would precede full application of the coating.

Less urgent details discussed included options for interior probes to inspect backup masonry and a phased approach to signage replacement if funding becomes available.