More →]]> The best part about the holidays are decorations! Trees, windows, streets… and even landmark buildings!

Each year in December we see those awe-inspiring historical buildings beautifully decorated. But if it wasn’t for BirdMaster’s contribution, those picturesque views might not even be there! After all, protecting our nation’s landmarks from the effects of bird guano is BirdMaster’s main focus. Its acid nature deteriorates a buildings structure and causes permanent damages.

We are proud to say that some of the places we helped to protect are looking pretty festive for the holidays!

Providence, Rhode Island City Hall

United States Capitol Building

Statue of Liberty

Washington D.C. Metro Station

Pretty nice, huh?

Send us a picture of your favorite place decorated for Christmas! We’d love to see!

More →]]> The term ‘gate’ has developed into a suffix we use to describe a scandal, and the history behind the word comes from the iconic Watergate Hotel and Office Building.

The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as an architectural landmark, famous for one of history’s biggest scandals- the Watergate Scandal.

The sixth floor of the Watergate Hotel and Office Building was home to the Democratic National Committee in 1972. The headquarters was burglarized on June 17, 1972 and President Nixon and his administration attempted to cover up their involvement in the break in. Nixon had tapped rooms and recorded conversations while in office, which eventually, led to his demise and resignation as President on August 9, 1974.

Political scandal aside, today, the Watergate Complex includes five buildings in Washington D.C. that consist of an office building, a hotel office building and three apartment buildings.

Being the first mixed-used development in Washington D.C. the developers had wanted the complex to be a city within a city and to have it provide amenities such as 24 hour receptionists and room service, a health club, restaurants, shopping mall, medical and dental offices, grocery and more. All of the original buildings were proposed with heights reaching 16 floors, but that plan was later scrapped since businesses and groups in the area often protested. After long approval processes, the construction of the complex would settle on five buildings that didn’t have increased height, except for the hotel.

The approval boards for the complex were often at battle with the Italian firm, Societa Generale Immobiliare, in charge of its design. Construction was often halted due to differences in architectural style, but was finished in 1971. At the time, the complex was considered one of the most desirable living spaces for members of Congress and political affiliates.

The architecture on the complex was different from what people were used to seeing in the city of Washington D.C. The modern architecture with curvy design wouldn’t catch on right away, but soon critics were relating the curvy nature of the buildings to graceful ships.

The Watergate name was derived from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that faced the Potomac River, as the steps were planned to be the official reception area for arrivals from the water taxi from Virginia. However, the steps were never used in that way.

Currently, the hotel is under renovation and will be finished in the summer of 2015. With the aid of innovative technologies and humane bird control systems, BirdMaster is helping to preserve our architectural history by keeping one of our country’s most iconic landmarks free of pest bird infestations.

BirdMaster hides the bird deterrence better than Nixon hid the tapes!

More →]]> Washington D.C. has long been the home of finding America’s most wanted. Since 1908, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, better known as the FBI, has been hunting down our country’s criminals.

Up until 1975 the main offices of the FBI were housed inside the Department of Justice building. Proposals to move its headquarters to their own separate building were halted due to WWII, but a building for the department was built by May of 1974.

The General Services Administration or, the GSA, which handles all of the public building construction, hired the architects of the firm Charles F. Murphy and Associates of Chicago. They also hired Berswenger, Hoch, Arnold and Associates of Akron, Ohio for the engineering portion of the project.

Located between 9^th and 10^th streets in Washington D.C., the building for the headquarters had been a simple design. The FBI had one request- that the building be a traditional box-like structure. In the middle of the building would house the central core files, with offices surrounding that.

However, The Pennsylvania Avenue Advisory Council urged the architects to change the design in order to make it more attractive for tourists. With security in mind, the architects hatched a design with an open mezzanine and courtyard, though the access is limited. The first floor of the building would be closed for security reasons and recessed panels went up along the ground floor to give the illusion of two-story columns- making it look like an arcade, and blend
with the rest of the shops and tourist stops on the street.

The outside of the building would be poured concrete consisting of crushed dolomite limestone with contrasting marble, granite or limestone. Concrete had been poured over molds so that there were evenly spaced holes for an architectural feature on the building.

The building’s official name, the J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I. Building, was named in honor of FBI Director Hoover’s death in September of 1975.

Today, the FBI Headquarters no longer provides tours of the building. Instead, they’ve opened the FBI Education Center to provide information about the FBI and its history, but in order to get there, you need to arrange a visit through their congressional office. The FBI focuses heavily today on investigating terrorism, counterintelligence, cyber crimes, public corruption, civil rights, organized crime, white-collar crime and any violent crimes and major thefts.

The individuals that are employed by the FBI work around the clock to protect us. In return, BirdMaster’s crew honorably protected their headquarters from pest bird infestations. By installing invisible netting to facilitate against any further damages to the building’s architecture, BirdMaster safely provided reassurance so that one of our most important buildings is preserved well into the future!