COMPLETED PROJECT: USC Bridge Hall Lightwell Rails and Grilles

Historic restoration projects aren’t always glamorous, sometimes they’re necessary for public safety. We recently completed restoration and repair of the lightwell handrails and grilles at Bridge Hall at the University of Southern California.

Bridge Hall after completion in 1928, photo from the LA Public Library archives

Bridge Hall was designed by prolific LA architects John & Donald Parkinson and completed in 1928. For 86 years old, its looking pretty good today…except for the railings that surround the lightwells.

: Concrete corner had been busted off and part of the handrail base was missing

: Handrail base was damaged and completely detached from the concrete curb

: Some of the railings were severely corroded and deteriorating

: Grilles were covered in rust while the curbs had blown apart and exposed rusting rebar

: Heavily cracked curbs exposed the rusting rebar

: Do not climb down that ladder!

: Whole corners of the concrete retaining curb had broken away. The railing was was just floating

: Cracked concrete curb

: Severely cracked curb

: Severly cracked surb and missing railing base

While original, the handrails and grilles surrounding the lightwells were severely corroded, and the concrete curbs literally falling apart.

We were called in to fix the problem. We ended up stripping away years of lead paint from the rails, removing all of the salvageable parts, demo-ing back and repouring the heavily damaged curbs, repairing and re-installing the rails with a new rust-resistant paint job, and powder-coating the grilles. Hopefully they all last another 86 years!