Project · Old Town, Chicago

Latin School — masonry wall restoration.

312 Masonry carried out two masonry restoration projects at the Latin School of Chicago — full tuckpointing, parapet rebuilding and new limestone coping on the south perimeter wall, plus a complete rebuild of the deteriorated playground parapet wall with new masonry, coping and fencing.

The Latin School of Chicago · 1531 N Dearborn Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60610

Entrance signage at the Latin School of Chicago, 1531 North Dearborn

The project

Project description.

The south masonry perimeter wall at the Latin School had deteriorated after years of weather exposure, moisture infiltration and aging mortar joints. 312 Masonry was brought in to return the wall to its original structural integrity while improving its long-term durability and appearance.

Work included removing and replacing deteriorated masonry units, rebuilding structurally compromised sections, and installing new through-wall flashing to direct water out of the wall system. The existing coping was removed and replaced with new precision-cut limestone, and the full wall was tuckpointed with new high-strength mortar matched to the existing masonry.

Separately, the masonry parapet wall around the Latin School's playground had its own moisture problem — years of weather exposure and deteriorated original construction let water penetrate the wall assembly, weakening mortar joints and accelerating damage to the face brick and coping. Rather than a patch repair, 312 Masonry fully demolished and rebuilt the playground parapet wall with new structural backup masonry, premium face brick and Type N mortar, topped with new decorative limestone coping for lasting weather protection.

New fencing was anchored securely to the reconstructed playground wall, with every new material integrated to match the existing building while improving long-term resistance to moisture intrusion — delivering a durable, watertight, and safe perimeter for the playground.

What we did

Scope of work.

Removed and replaced deteriorated and damaged masonry units throughout the south wall.
Rebuilt sections of the wall where structural deterioration had compromised stability.
Installed new through-wall masonry flashing to direct water out of the wall system.
Removed the existing coping and installed new precision-cut limestone coping.
Performed complete parapet wall restoration, rebuilding damaged sections.
Executed full tuckpointing of the south wall with new high-strength matched mortar.
Replaced deteriorated brick and masonry components for a consistent appearance.
Fully demolished and removed the deteriorated playground parapet wall.
Rebuilt the playground parapet wall with new structural backup masonry and premium face brick.
Installed new Type N mortar throughout the playground parapet for long-term durability.
Installed new decorative limestone coping across the full playground parapet wall.
Installed new fencing anchored securely to the reconstructed playground wall.
Cleaned and inspected all restored areas for quality and specification compliance.