Manufacturer providing stain for Richards Building calls unpermitted work ‘heartbreaking’

We’re hearing from the president of Mineral Stains, the manufacturer who provided the stain that now covers the historic 101-year-old Richards Building in downtown Fort Myers.

Matt Plechan said he found out about the stop work order the city issued on Friday after watching our story on WINK News.

“When I found out that this was not permitted properly, it was heartbreaking to me. I’m in the masonry preservation business, and we’re located in Jacksonville, so we’re not too far away. This was very discouraging news for me because I really wanted to kind of get a building like this on our portfolio where you could make a difference,” Plechan said. “There was no knowledge or consent on our part that this was not permitted, so we hate to be in this pickle or involved in this situation without finding out the way we did.”

Even though it will take harsh acids to remove, Plechan said the stain can be taken off without causing damage to the historic building.

“It’s simply a potassium silicate, which means it coats right into the surface, so it works like a piece of wood,” he said. “When it’s stained, it soaks into the brick and becomes part of the brick, therefore reducing any chips or peals or destruction to the masonry, so we use this up north for a lot of historical preservations, like the George Furbeck home, that was built by Frank Lloyd Wright, and Oak Park, for instance.”

Plenchan discovered that the stain from mineral stains was used for the unpermitted work but says it’s reversible.

“When I found out that this was not permitted properly, it was heartbreaking to me,” said Plechan. “It can be restored; it’s just the right protocol would have to be used not to denigrate the mortar on the break.”

Next, according to the HPC, at the following preservation meeting, the applicant will go before the board to provide all of their information and submit their application to get a certificate of approval.

The lawyer representing the applicant told WINK News he’s not available to speak until Friday.