A study conducted by a team of researchers confirmed that the west facade of the Alamo, located in San Antonio, is suffering from erosion.
The research team, led by architecture researchers from Texas A&M University, used digital images and lasers to confirm the erosion of 2 ½ inches through the previous half-century. The erosion is located at a column base in the main entrance of the historic site.
"Some might say that doesn't sound like a whole lot, but over time, it adds up to a significant amount, especially if that rate increases in the future," wrote Texas A&M Center for Heritage Conservation director Robert Warden in a post online that announced the team's findings.
Pam Rosser, the conservator of the Alamo, said that the limestone facade of the site, which has a thickness of 3 feet, is not yet in danger. However, the four-year study by the researchers shows more evidence that preservation work is already needed for the landmark, and that she is not surprised by the findings of Warden's team.
The Alamo was built as Mission San Antonio de Valero by Franciscan priests in 1718, with the stone complex established in 1744. The location is where the Battle of the Alamo was held, a part of the Texas Revolution wherein Texas gained its independence from Mexico.
The images that the researchers took, using lasers, cameras and several other instruments, were combined by a program into a package composed of 2D and 3D images. The product was then analyzed in comparison to historical pictures and documents of the Alamo.
Warden said that, when comparing the bases of the studied columns, their original shape was rectangular with medallions or floral patterns. However, the patterns today look scooped instead of straight signifying that erosion was already underway in the Alamo as early as the 1930s.
The latest in-depth examination of the site, along with renovations and repairs, was in 1960.
When the building was constructed, the facade and exterior walls received a plaster finish for the protection of the mortar and limestone, according to Rosser. However, over the years the plaster finish washed away and never replaced, she said. The battle then occurred at the site, causing further deterioration.
Texan soldiers took over the Alamo in December 1835, which was then defended from a siege by forces of Mexico that ended in March 6, 1836. The Battle of the Alamo claimed the lives of 180 defenders, which included Alamo commander William Travis, James Bowie and Davy Crockett.
