The area surrounding Music Hall experienced a Renaissance in the early 2000s. The concert hall’s stunning facade overlooks a renovated Washington Park that has become a hub of culture and community. The Friends of Music Hall organization campaigned to make an investment in the most extensive renovation ever performed on the landmark. It was important to preserve this historic treasure for years to come.

SSRG delivered excellence in both masonry repair and concrete strengthening.

• The SSRG team patched and replaced the stone accents throughout the building by using Jahn M70 repair mortars from Cathedral Stone
• Project vendors from Stone Center and Nawkaw helped with the stone plinth revitalization and piano key brick stain detailing, respectively.
  • The black-brick banding and patterns were an original design of Hannaford’s and were finally restored.
• SSRG performed stone foundation infills and brick infills throughout, to reestablish the original openings
• SSRG also applied shotcrete below the old floor of Springer Auditorium to create the walls of a new orchestra pit.

Years after the comprehensive restoration, SSRG was brought back to perform repairs to the ornamental sandstone embellishments. These decorative elements had deteriorated drastically over the years. SSRG restored key pieces, including 10 finials atop the gables as well as a sandstone lyre.

The removal of the lyre was an exceedingly demanding process. Two team members removed the lyre from 75’ above street level. The lyre was then 3D scanned so that it can be reproduced with GFRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete). This restoration work was recognized with a 2021 Cincinnati Preservation Award for Outstanding Achievement in Restoration.