Grand Central Air Terminal

Project Background:

• Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT) or Grand Central Airport was the first official air terminal for Los Angeles
• Several famous aviation pioneers made their mark at GCAT, including Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, and William Boeing
• With its close proximity to Hollywood’s studios of old as well as all manner of aircraft, GCAT was a magnet for big budget movies up to and including the 1940’s
• Due to declining profitability, GCAT shuttered in 1959. It was later damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake
• The Walt Disney Company purchased GCAT in 1997 and subsequently launched a major seismic retrofit project

Challenges Presented:

• Due to multiple building campaigns enlarging the original terminal, a complex web of structural elements existed
• Hidden, riveted steel leads coursed throughout the building and architectural flourishes adorned the exterior façade, necessitating an extremely cautious intervention
• The renovation needed to address seismic concerns while avoiding unwanted changes to aesthetics

Services and Solutions:

• Masonry Solutions worked with the project team to develop a comprehensive approach that utilized non-ferrous internal reinforcement of GCAT’s walls
• First Masonry Solutions’ technicians drilled vertically through the exterior CMU and brick to allow for placement of the Gruenstark Masonry Fabric Anchor System
• Masonry Solutions applied advanced long-bore dry coring tools and techniques, including use of the proprietary Romeo I Coring Equipment
• Installation of Gruenstark fabric anchoring followed, with injection of Compatible Injected Fill, or CIF, to bond reinforcements to surrounding masonry units
• This allowed the team to strengthen key points of the structure without precipitating needless intervention
• Over 6800 linear ft. of Gruenstark fabric anchors were furnished and installed by MSI
• Additionally, due to voided and weakened masonry, MSI injected MSI Flowable Fill , a cost-effective fill for large open cavities, throughout the majority of the building, bonding individual units together and providing rigidity. This material was customized through on-site and laboratory testing of GCAT's masonry components in order to develop a sypathetic and compatible enhancement
• Masonry Solutions performed their work with caution to protect and enhance without negatively affecting any of the substantial architectural heritage present at GCAT
• This seismic retrofit project allowed Grand Central Air Terminal’s historic visage to continue illuminating an era of aviation for future generations of visitors to come