After disastrous fires of 1788 and 1794, the Spanish Cabildo passed building laws that forbid the construction of wooden buildings within the center of the city. "requiring walls to be of brick or of brick between posts protected by at least an inch of cement plaster."

Crack Repair & Periodic Reapplication of Stucco

Historically at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, the mortars and bricks were covered with protective layers of stucco. Unlike the mortar, most stucco mixes were hydraulic lime- or natural cement-based with an aggregate of sharp fine quartz sand. These more durable stucco layers protected the soft interior structural brick and clayey mortar from moisture and invasive plant damage, and provided a smooth appearance to the surface.

Over time, as a result of tomb subsidence and rising damp, thermal and moisture changes in the materials cause mortar joints to loosen and bricks to move. Stresses build up in the walls and small cracks develop in the stucco layer, generally in line with the brick courses.

With periodic maintenance, these cracks are easily repaired and stucco should be reapplied as needed. This periodic maintenance keeps the tomb sound for generations. More information is available on recommended stucco and mortar mixes. Go There

Portland cement was not used in tomb masonry until the mid twentieth century. Today, many of the early tombs have been encased in hard, dense cement stucco, probably in the mistaken belief that once applied, maintenance would no longer be required. The mismatch of properties and the entrapment of ever-present moisture between the interior brick structure, the historic stuccos, and the modern cements, have created problems of incompatibility and have led to structural damage far in excess of the damage seen in tombs that were not repaired with cement. In addition to trapping moisture, cement-based mortar and stucco repairs typically cause through-wall structural cracking of the brickwork, and when removed, tear off the face of the damaged brick beneath the stucco.

Opening quote: Records and Deliberations of the Cabildo, IV, typescript, WPA, 1936. Before the invention of Portland cement, the use of the word 'cement' described any adhesive mixture containing a binder paste, aggregate and water, capable of uniting masses of solid matter to a compact whole.

Text adapted from St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 Guidelines for Preservation and Restoration. The full document of guidelines can be downloaded as a pdf file. Go There.