Analysis, Documentation, and Development of Conservation Treatments for the Great House, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. Volume I of II

Bass, Angelyn; Porter, Douglas; Williams, Katie; Nordby, Larry; Dixon, Neil

This project reports on the results of two cooperative agreements. A single completion report will be submitted for the total scope of work addressed by the two agreements, which includes: 1. Characterization of earthen wall materials, plasters, and architectural finishes including identification of clays, aggregates, and identifying features of each of the materials used in the construction and finishing of walls; 2. Archaeological investigations focused on construction episodes and wall sectors, including graphic documentation; 3. Photo-documentation of the ruin, including photomosaic wall composites, repeat photography for comparison with early images of the great house, and archival reproduction of selected images; 4. Analysis of candidate soils for formulating repair materials for plaster conservation; 5. Pilot testing and limited treatment of earthen architectural finishes to address delamination of plasters and leveling coats, erosion and loss of finishes due to persistent wet-dry cycling, Analysis, Documentation, and Development of Conservation Treatments for the Great House, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument CPCESU-University of New Mexico, 2019 2 cleaning of mud runnels and bird droppings, and edging of plasters along erosion channels and losses; 6. Recommendations to address site-specific approaches to pest management in the great house, with limited implementation of specific interventions depending on the availability of funding; 7. First order structural evaluation of the great house, especially with respect to seismic vulnerability; 8. Nondestructive testing to characterize internal fracture networks and other structural discontinuities in the walls.