Stern and Bucek Architects - NASA

Stern and Bucek Architects 1610 Commerce St

Houston, Texas 77002

8/9/18

RESTORATION OF THE APOLLO MISSION CONTROL CENTER, A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK WALLCOVERING NARRATIVE INTRODUCTION Below is a narrative description of the vinyl wallcovering proposed for the restoration of the standing desk inside the Visitor Viewing Room; part of the Apollo Mission Control Center, a National Historic Landmark. APOLLO ERA VINYL WALLCOVERING The vinyl wallcovering currently installed in the Apollo Mission Control Center is not original to the room. During the historic finish analysis, performed by Jhonny Langer from Source, he identified the original generation wallpaper had been left in place behind historical items affixed to walls. (See image 1)

Image 1: Photo by S&BA, 3/17/18 - MOCR Wall – Original Apollo era wallcovering found next to thermostat.

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Researching the original construction drawings for the Mission Control Center Building No. 30, revealed the original Apollo era vinyl wallcovering’s model name and manufacturer. The finish schedule included in the 1963 construction set, lists the original wallcovering as: Vinyl Wallcovering - Texture and color from Vicrtex Samples – VW – Boucle V 280 No. 16 – Limed White.

Image 2: NASA Construction Document, Page: A-30-4, Vinyl Specification & Title Block, Dated 1963 PROPOSED VINYL WALLCOVERING Vicrtex, the original vinyl wallcovering manufacturer, no longer exists. A company called, Koroseal, purchased the company. With the purchase of Vicrtex Korosal obtained the original engraved drums used in the manufacturing process of the vinyl pattern “Boucle”. Koroseal has confirmed to Stern and Bucek Architects that the drum used today for the manufacturing of “Boucle” is the same drum used to produce the wallcovering in the 1960’s. Discrepancies in the pattern between the historic sample and proposed sample are a result of the drum having been re-tooled. As the drum wears down from use, the pattern becomes less pronounced. The drums are taken to a metal shop where the textured pattern is re-tooled or re-engraved, resulting in a more pronounced pattern. The color of the proposed sample was developed by color matching a piece of the original Apollo era wallcovering, provided by Stern and Bucek Architects. The following images show the proposed vinyl wallcovering manufactured by Kororseal compared to the original Apollo era sample harvested from the Apollo Mission Control Center.

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Image 3: Photo by S&BA – Proposed vinyl wallcovering (Left) next to the original Apollo era sample (Right)

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Image 4: Photo by S&BA – Close up view of the Proposed vinyl wallcovering (Left) next to the original Apollo era sample (Right)