REVIVAL!

The following is a description (edited for clarity) by our friend Doug of how his Revival was finally completed. When asked, how did they ever get this obviously heavy cap on the columns, Doug replied,

“It came in pieces; they brought it out on a flatbed truck. Two half circles and there were other pieces as well. There were three men, you should have seen them, they each had ladders, and they were all up on the ladders. They had to make sure that the pieces came together. Then they welded the pieces to the rebar that’s in the center of each of the columns. The rebar goes all the way down to keep the entire structure stable. The cap is not resting on the pillars, if you look, you can see where they welded each dome arch to the rebar, so it’s not literally resting on the columns. The load bearing is mainly on the welds.”

Doug shared that the work had been done by a company called AccuTac Fabrication (website:  AccuTac Fabrication and Welding | 71 7th St, Shelbyville KY | (502)257-6057. He continued…

“Finding them was totally serendipitous. After trying to find a company in Louisville, which was a dead end, I just Googled fabrication companies in Shelby County and this company popped up. It is just two young men, very nice guys, very skilled, they are right in Shelbyville. They came out the next day and said, ‘Yea, we can do this!’ and they did.”

“The cap has a black powdered coating on it, and this type of coating should last about 20 years. They started about 9:00 AM on a Wednesday, and they were done by noon! They had constructed and put it together at the shop, of course without the welds, so they knew what they had and how to complete the work on site.”

For those of you who have been following the story of Revival, recall that the columns were made by Vince Mattei for a customer back in the early 1980’s (see Vince profile pages 212-213). The doctor who had ordered the columns passed them on to Doug. This doctor, who is Doug’s neighbor, is now 94 years old. He came recently to see the completed project. When asked about the doctor’s response Doug shared the following…

“…yea, he was the original guy that commissioned the pillars. I called the doctor, he still lives at home with 24-hour care, and I said, ‘Doc how are you doing? He said, ‘I am doing great.’ I ask if he could get out and he said, ‘sure’ … it was a beautiful day, and I picked him up. Sadly, he didn’t remember anything about it (the columns), although I think vaguely, he did. It is so funny because when I picked him up, he’s a real character, with a dry sense of humor, and I said to him, we are going to see the columns that you gave me, then he looked up at me and said, ‘you mean you stole for me’ (this made all of us laugh … and  Doug continued saying that), “he smiled, and really just got a big kick out of being out for the day.”

Apparently, according to Doug, the Doc was more interested in his garden than Revival. Doug added more information concerning the columns’ construction and foundation. He shared that under each one of the pedestals is a foundation which is substantial, and the concrete base was incorporated around those column foundations,

“…so, I don’t think it is going anywhere! I did not want it to move and then at some point start to tilt, it is solid. They used sand mix (basically concrete without the gravel) to help with binding the pieces and leveling. I think it is pretty much engineered, so it won’t tilt”. Doug was proud to share that a close friend who is a perfectionist saw the columns and said, ‘they are straight up and down and that’s an important part!”

Doug again shared how the pieces of the columns were assembled, as it was described in Vince’s profile see page 213). Then he added that the groves on the columns are called flutes and then on top of each column there is another collar and capital. The rebar in the columns is actually pinned together on top and bottom, Doug used every piece of Vince’s creation including a small cap. He asked the fabricators if they could make a plate for the top, which they did and Doug crowned Revival with the small cap that is sitting on the plate with a six-inch piece of rebar up the center,

“The cap is just sitting there, and it should be fine, I hope. Now with this dome the entire structure is pretty solid. I love it!

AND WE DEARLY LOVE IT TOO, DOUG! WE CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR THIS WONDERFUL CREATION BRINGING US BACK INTO OUR ANCESTOR’S PAST. THEY SPENT THEIR ENTIRE LIVES IMAGE MAKING. YOU HAVE BROUGHT VINCE’S WORK TO LIFE FOR US AND MANY OTHERS TO CONTINUE TO ENJOY!