The Athenaeum of Ohio - Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West is the third-oldest Roman Catholic seminary in the United States and is currently located at 6616 Beechmont Avenue in the Cincinnati, Ohio neighborhood of Mt. Washington. This complex of limestone and granite buildings has been immaculately maintained for the past 90 years. In 2017 the complex was showing some atmospheric staining. Hart Restoration was contracted to not only clean the Seminary, but also apply a waterproofing sealer to preserve the mortar joints and extent the esthetics of the cleaning process.

Hart did extensive testing of various sealers to determine best performance and least impact on the appearance of the stone.

After selecting the proper cleaning agents and waterproofing sealer, Hart commenced the project with access being accomplished with 85’ aerial lifts. Hart realized at the beginning of the work that the 38,000.pound devices posed a threat to the beautiful landscaping of the surrounding Seminary property. Large rubber mats where brought in along with metal plates to enable the project to proceed with minimal damage.

Included in our scope of work was stone repair and re-pointing of failed mortar joints. Hart’s technicians carefully matched the existing mortar color/texture/profile and limestone patina. The project encompassed over 120,000 square feet of stone surface.

The project was completed to the satisfaction of the client and on time.