The Atascadero Printery

Atascadero, CA

Working under the State Historic Building Code, FTF has begun the lengthy process to reinforce, rehabilitate, and repurpose this 14,000 square foot unreinforced historic brick building originally built in 1914 to house the largest rotogravure press complex west of the Mississippi. The building went through many uses over the years, including housing a school as well as the local Masonic Temple, until it was severely damaged in an earthquake in 2003 and subsequently abandoned and neglected. Working with community organizers to save the building and eventually repurpose it to serve community arts programs, the first steps were to repair damaged corners, as well as place temporary shoring posts to ensure that the building stays intact during the initial stages of the rehabilitation process. FTF has created a plan to install reinforced fiber mesh on the inside of the brick with a stucco coating to spread the building’s load and avoid the costly upgrade of the foundation. Helical ties were used to tie the brick wythes together and epoxy dowels were utilized for out-of-plane anchorage of the walls, allowing the historic exterior to remain untouched and authentic. FTF worked to provide retrofit detailing that will allow community volunteers with construction skills to self-perform portions of the work ultimately saving in construction costs. For more information on this project, or to learn how you can help in the restoration efforts, please click: The Atascadero Printery Foundation.