Government Street Heritage Building – Victoria BC
Brick Cleaning & Smoke Odor Removal — Victoria, BC
a devastating fire tore through a century-old brick heritage building on Government Street in downtown Victoria. The fire caused extensive damage not only to the historic structure itself, but also to neighbouring buildings and businesses in the surrounding area.
While the primary building was ultimately deemed a complete loss, the adjacent heritage brickwork remained structurally sound and required careful restoration.
Approximately one year later, once the site had been cleared, remediation work began on the surrounding buildings affected by smoke, soot, and lingering odor.
Gentle Soda Blasting for Heritage Brickwork
Downs Construction hired Ocean Pacific Media Blasting to restore the original century-old brickwork using a controlled soda blasting process. The goal was to remove smoke staining and odor while preserving the character and integrity of the historic masonry.
Soda blasting was selected because it provides effective cleaning without damaging aged brick or mortar.
The restoration process achieved:
Removal of smoke stains from historic brick surfaces
Elimination of embedded smoke odor
Preservation of original brick texture and appearance
No damage to surrounding masonry or mortar joints
By using a gentle, non-destructive media blasting approach, Ocean Pacific successfully restored the visual appearance of the brickwork while respecting the heritage value of the structure.
Project Summary
This heritage restoration project required a careful balance between effective smoke remediation and preservation of historic materials. Through controlled soda blasting, Ocean Pacific Media Blasting successfully removed fire-related staining and odor from century-old brickwork while maintaining the integrity, texture, and character of the original masonry—supporting the long-term restoration of surrounding heritage buildings in downtown Victoria.
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“Ocean Pacific's team were willing to work long hours to meet the project's extremely challenging schedule.”
- Paul Write, Project Manager, The Haebler Group
Project Brief
Gentle soda blasting restored historic brickwork after downtown Victoria fire damage.
Client Name
Downs Construction
Fire Restoration
Location
Victoria, BC, Canada
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