Who casts capitals in Richmond?
Nathalie is looking for some help finding capitals for her porch:
I’m trying to find out whether anyone in the Richmond area casts capitals. We’re rebuilding our front porch, for which all 11 capitals need to be replaced, and are having a hard time finding pre-made caps that are the right size.
what’s a capital?
Bullwinkie #1, it’s the top part of a column. From wikipedia:
There are three parts of a column. A column is divided into a shaft, its base and its capital. In classical buildings the horizontal structure that is supported on the columns like a beam is called an entablature. The entablature is commonly divided into the architrave, the frieze and the cornice. To distinguish between the different Classical orders, the capital is used, having the most distinct characteristics.
To Nathalie: are they currently cast, and out of what? Or are they carved? I’m confused as to what your porch columns are made of, if it’s cast iron you might try Caravatti’s.
caravati has cast capitals of the three types ans sises sm or 6 to 8 in at the top of colum med or 8 to 10 or lg the sq type is doric the one with 4 volutes on the cnr s is ionic and the one with a long neck and epicanthes leaves is corinthian there is a third typ seen some around richmond that is a cross between ionic andcorinthian but the name i forget the capital is always the head of a colum not the parts of a lintel as prev. descibed and the many names for the diferent parts are so confusing they have been shortened to the basic styles the plinth which is made up of the pediment or foot the ovulo wich in clasical style makes the transition fronm sqare or earth to round which is human form .there are some plastic ionic capitals at puls place for 40 ea if they are the right sise make sure if they are being used outside that they are poly eurathane not styrene if you use plastic
The column capitals are most likely terra cotta or plaster, typical for decorative column capitals from the 1880′s through the 1930′s or so. These capitals deteriorate pretty significantly if their painted finish fails and water gets to the porous surface beneath. While the historic capitals were stock pieces themselves, its often difficult to find new replacements that have the same proportions. I don’t know of any local concern that casts reproduction captials – new ones are typically made of fiberglass or a concrete composite, and are usually mass-produced. That being said, the Traditional Building magazine website has a lot of column/capital manufacturers that might work. Of course, there may be a local caster that can help – I’d like to find someone local who could do it also!
Try OK Foundry on Commerce.
They do custom metalwork, if you are in fact talking about metal and not plaster capitals.
http://www.okfoundrycompany.com/
Call Richard Knight at 304-4002, he can cast them out of plaster, concrete, or fiberglass. He’s the best guy in town for capitals and has a good stock or moulds he has made from originals in Richmond so there’s a good chance he’s already got a mould for what you need. He also does ceiling medallions and can do all kinds of other stuff as well.
Thanks, everyone! Appreciate your help. Ramzi, I’ll contact Richard: thanks for the contact info. And sorry I wasn’t more specific about the exact type of capitals I am looking for: the originals were terra cotta, but as Bryan guessed, they’ve long ago fallen apart.