48. AQUARIUM. Aquarium. Classification: Cluster: Location: Close to junction of Inselrhue and Loiter Way, Belle Isle. Total Area: No.

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1 Classification: Cluster: Location: Total Area: No. of Stories Aquarium Acreage Owned: Acquired: 1904 Most Recent Improvements: THE AQUARIUM Close to junction of Inselrhue and Loiter Way, Belle Isle Two Story structure with basement. The Aquarium was opened in 1904 and is one of the oldest public aquariums in North America. It is located by the Conservatory and across from the Green House units at the junction of Inselrue Avenue and Loiter Way. The Aquarium is a brick building with concrete floor slabs at each level. Most of the roof is covered with asphalt roofing shingles while the roofing over the main public viewing area is metal. One of the most outstanding features of the building s finishes is the use of the famous Pewabic tiles in graduated sea tones on the internal floors and barrel ceilings of the public viewing area. Pewabic tiles are iridescent tiles with unique glazes, first created by renowned ceramic artist Mary Chase Perry Stratton. Community Development Solutions LLC 48 Aquarium -Page 1 of 10

2 Picture left shows the main public entrance into the building. The entrance door is a glazed aluminium framed door in fairly good Picture right shows the main Aquarium hall. An archway separates the entrance steps from the hall. Picture left shows the reception desk at the beginning of the aquarium hall. The walls are finished in glazed tile which are generally in good The floors and barrel vault ceiling of the main aquarium hall are finished in Pewabic tile. These are generally in fairly good Picture left shows the main aquarium hall. There is a low wall running right through the middle of the wall. The HVAC supplies and returns are installed there. Picture right shows one of the aquarium viewing areas, which is framed in aluminium. There are stainless steel barrier rails along the viewing walls. Picture left shows part of the plaster ceiling over the main entrance. This is in fair coandition with peeling plaster and evidence of water damage. Picture right shows the steel handrail at the entrance and the steps, which are finished in marble. The rest of the floor is finished in Pewabic mosaic tile. Picture left shows the light fixtures, which are, suspended fluorescent fixtures. The cover of one of these is missing. Picture right shows long cracks in the pewabic tile also on the barrel ceiling. The broken tiles have to be replaced. Pictrue left shows the pewabic tile on part of the ceiling. Note that some of the tiles are missing. These tiles have to be replaced. Picture right shows part of the ceiling finished in plaster. This area is peeling. Community Development Solutions LLC 48 Aquarium -Page 2 of 10

3 Picture left shows the glazing over the domed part of the aquarium viewing area. The glazing is in poor condition and needs to be cleaned. The main aquarium viewing area is divided into three. There are 2 long halls separated by an octagonal domed hall. Picture left shows the domed area which has walls finished with glazed tiles. These are in good Picture right shows the ceiling over the domed area of the aquarium viewing area. It is finished with Pewabic tile and glazed at its peak. Picture left shows the aquarium viewing area. The dwarf wall that runs through the center is finished with glazed tiles which are in good Picture right shows one of the aquariums with fish, still functioning. Picture left shows the piping inside one of the aquariums. Picture right shows one of the HVAC supply grills. These are all generally in good Picture left shows a meeting room. The floor is finished in vinyl which is in good Walls and ceiling have wood paneling both in good Picture right shows a side emergency exit lobby. The floor is finished in mosaic tiles and is in good The walls and ceiling are finished in plaster. Picture left shows the ceiling over the side emergency exit lobby. The ceiling has been damaged by water leakage. Picture right shows the emergency exit door. The door is ADA compliant. Community Development Solutions LLC 48 Aquarium -Page 3 of 10

4 Picture left shows the emergency exit lobby. There is a drinking water fountain in this space. Picture right shows the staff toilet. The internal walls are plaster and marble partitions. The marble partitions are in good condition while the plaster is fair. Picture left shows steps leading up to the tank rooms from the staff toilet. Steps are covered with steel now in poor Picture right shows the ceiling over the staff toilet. Note the mold damage on the ceiling. Note from picture above right that doors are not ADA compliant. Picture left shows the tank room closest to the public viewing hall. Most of the metal supports in the tank room are rusting and there is algae growth on walls and pipes. Picture right shows the ceiling over the tank room. The ceiling is painted wood which is in poor condition from mold and water damage. Picture left shows walls in the tank room made with wood strips now in fair The masonry walled tanks are in fair to poor Picture right shows one of the tanks in the tank room with a pipe still supplying it with water. The pipe has algae growth on it. Picture left shows ceiling over the tank room in poor condition from mold and water damage. Picture right shows the floor which is painted concrete. This is in fair The floor drains are also in fair Picture left shows walls of the tank room which are painted brick. The walls are in fair to poor condition with some areas water damaged. Community Development Solutions LLC 48 Aquarium -Page 4 of 10

5 Pictures left and right show the painted wood ceilings over the second aquarium tank room. These are in poor condition from mold and water damage. Picture left shows a water heater in the tank room area. This is in fairly good Picture right shows an electrical panel. This is in fair condition and has to be reviewed. Picture left shows the Aquarium room / Hatchery. The floor is painted concrete and the walls are painted brick both in fair Picture right shows the painted wood ceiling of the aquarium room / hatchery. Some of the strips are falling off. Picture left shows the tank area off the aquarium / hatchery. The walls are painted brick walls in fair The floors are painted concrete now peeling. Note that a lot of the conduits and pipes are run on the surface of floors and walls. Picture left shows the steps leading from the main aquarium viewing hall and the aquarium tank room / hatchery. The walls are finished in pewabic tile. Some of the wall tiles are broken or missing. The paint is peeling of the concrete floor and off the tank enclosure to the right of the staircase. Community Development Solutions LLC 48 Aquarium -Page 5 of 10

6 Picture left shows an electrical panel. This is in fair Picture right shows space with painted concrete floor in fair to poor The pipes which run along the walls are in fair Picture left shows some of the pewabic tile on the walls by the hatchery, broken and missing. Picture right shows another tank room. The walls are painted brick and painted wooden strips. These are in fair The tanks are in fair Picture left shows the ceiling over one of the aquarium tank room areas. The ceiling is made with painted wooden strips and is in poor condition from mold. Picture right shows an aquarium tank room. Walls are painted brick and painted wooden strips. These are in fair Picture right shows another wall with several of the pewabic tiles missing. The painted concrete floor is in fair Pictures left and right show old elevator with steel door and grill. The elevator does not appear to be in working Picture left shows another tank room. The slab above is supported by steel I-beams in good The floors are painted concrete. The plaster ceiling is peeling in some areas. The walls are concrete masonry unit walls and are in fairly good All conduits and pipes are surface. Community Development Solutions LLC 48 Aquarium -Page 6 of 10

7 Picture left shows a tank room. The tank rooms form a U-shape around the fish tanks in the viewing areas. The room left is at one end of this U. Picture right shows a part of the roof with a polythene sheet placed below the trusses. Picture left shows the plant room at the second floor level. The floor is painted concrete which is in fair The walls are painted brick also fair. Picture right shows stains from the machinery on the floors. The painted brick walls are in fair to poor condition with some signs of dampness. Picture left shows ceiling of the plant room at the second floor level. The ceiling is in fair condition but has a lot of hornet s nests which have to be cleaned. Picture right shows the wooden staircase leading down to the basement. There are 17 steps down and they are mostly in poor Picture left shows steel staircase to the second floor level. The staircase is rusting and in poor Picture right shows some of the pipes in the basement area. The pipes are rusting and the insulation is moldy. Picture right shows one of the tank rooms in the basement. The walls need to be painted. Picture right shows the lobby at the bottom of the staircase to the basement area. The concrete floor slab is in good Picture right shows the exposed concrete floor of the basement. The floor is in poor condition and needs to be re-finished. Community Development Solutions LLC 48 Aquarium -Page 7 of 10

8 Picture left shows the steps up from the basement to the parking area. The steps are covered in painted steel in poor Picture right shows the exposed concrete floor slab of the basement floor, in poor Picture right shows the base of the brick wall in the basement, now in poor Picture right shows the right side of the Aquarium building. The building is brick and is roofed with asphalt shingles. The brick is fairly good but reroofing has to be done in some areas. The paved parking area is badly cracked all over and needs to be re-surfaced. Picture left shows the entrance elevation of the Aquarium building. This part of the building is covered with metal roofing which is generally in good Note the stonework archway at the entrance. This is in good Community Development Solutions LLC 48 Aquarium -Page 8 of 10

9 CONDITION SUMMARY The Aquarium is a brick building with concrete floor slabs at each level. The building is on two levels and has a basement. In the 1950s, structural reinforcement was carried out because of corrosion in the steel beams. Roof Most of the roof is covered with asphalt roofing shingles while the roofing over the main public viewing area has been more recently replaced with a metal roof. The building s asphalt roofing has to be replaced in some areas. Exterior Envelope The Aquarium building is flanked on the west side by the Conservatory and on the east side by the Green House unit across the street. There is a car park for the east side of the building, concrete paved and in very poor This paving needs to be repaired. Facade The Aquarium is a brick building with concrete floor slabs at each level. The parking area on the left side of the building has to be re-surfaced. The brick walls and the stone wall at the entrance are in fairly good About 20 years ago, a ramp was built on the left side of the building and this is still in good Interior One of the most outstanding features of the building s finishes is the use of the famous Pewabic tiles in graduated sea tones on the internal floors and barrel ceilings of the public viewing area. The viewing areas are 20 feet high in the barrel-vaulted halls and 30 feet high in the domed hall. Tank rooms surround the viewing fish tanks. While the main viewing area is generally in good condition, the tank rooms and service areas are in fair to poor There is evidence of mold and water damage on most of the painted wood ceilings and painted brick walls in these areas. At the basement level especially, there is a lot of corrosion of steel beams, metal pipes and metal light fixture covers. All these need to be made good and replaced where necessary. Main Aquarium viewing hall The floors and barrel vault ceiling of this area is finished in Pewabic tile which is mostly in good However in some areas, some of the tiles are cracked, broken or missing and have to be replaced. The fish tanks are framed with aluminum and have stainless steel barriers in front of them to prevent damage to the tanks. These are all in good Aquarium Tank Rooms The Aquarium tank rooms all have exposed or painted concrete floors, which are in, fair They also have painted brick walls and painted wood strip walls, which are in fair condition with some signs of water damage to some of them. The ceilings over these areas are painted wood ceilings, which are generally in poor condition from mold and water damage. The source of any water leakage if from the roof or from pipes first of all has to be corrected. The tank rooms may require a better ventilation system to prevent condensation on the ceilings and walls, which would now encourage growth of mold. Community Development Solutions LLC 48 Aquarium -Page 9 of 10

10 The concrete floor slab at the basement level has to be re-finished. The brick walls are damaged especially at the base and these areas have to be made good. Doors and Windows Most of the windows are wood-framed double hung windows which are in poor condition and need to be replaced. A few of the windows have been replaced in the last few years. Most of the doors are not ADA accessible and need to have their handles replaced. Electrical Installations The light fixtures in the general viewing areas are in fair and good condition in most cases. However several of the light fixtures in the rest of the building the aquarium tank rooms, storage and basement areas are rusting and need to be replaced. Mechanical Installations The HVAC supplies and returns, which are principally installed in a central dwarf wall in the main Aquarium viewing area, are in good The pipes in the basement, which have lost their insulation, have to be fixed. The rusting light fixture covers have to be replaced. Plumbing The plumbing pipework of the Aquarium needs to be completely overhauled. Several rusting and damaged pipes need to be replaced. Furniture, Equipment and Fixtures All of the Aquarium equipment has to be reviewed before the Aquarium can be put into full use once more. The water supply systems have been shut off in some areas and remain on in other areas. A few tanks still contain living fish in circulated water. Community Development Solutions LLC 48 Aquarium -Page 10 of 10