User:Srlerner/sandbox

Article Evaluation -- Neon Museum (Architectural History)


 * Lerner Feedback
 * Needs more information about the structure of the museum (staff, board of directors, funding...)
 * Need more information about the significant objects in the museum's collection (both text and images).
 * The article says "The museum has exhibits in three main areas: restored and installed neon signs in both the Fremont Street area and along the Las Vegas Strip; and in the Neon Boneyard." However, only the "restored" and the "Boneyard" are described. There is only a sentence dedicated to the "restored" exhibition.
 * The images should not be all crammed in at the end of the article. The images should help tell the story of the museum, as opposed to filling space.
 * Yes, everything is relevant, but the history section could be condensed, or structured as a timeline.
 * Its very hard to get a sense of what the experience of the museum will be like. Stating the location and linking to the organization's website is not sufficient.
 * It is very poorly written: Sloppy sentence construction, a lack of strong topic sentences, and incorrect grammar throughout the entire article
 * Although the author does cite a multitude of sources throughout the article, the narrative is hard to follow. The article opens with, "The Neon Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, features signs from old casinos and other businesses displayed outdoors on 2.62 acres. The museum features a restored lobby shell from the defunct La Concha Motel as its visitor center, which officially opened on October 27, 2012." This sentence is hard to read due to repetition of words and poor sentence structures. Did the museum open in 2012, or just the visitor center? A strong statement is imperative.
 * There should be less about the history, and more about the museum collection and exhibits.
 * There are no scholarly sources, only websites and newspaper articles. There should be a wider variety of sources.
 * The article is generally neutral. The brevity and analogous sources add to the neutrality.
 * Yes, there is copious information about the history of the museum, and not enough about the current museum (exhibitions, funding, events, etc...)
 * The tone of the article presents a very flat affect
 * All of the links work, but as a I stated before, there should be a wider variety of sources -- journals, videos, books... just to name a few
 * The "Talk" page has limited information. It mostly discusses the copyright of images and museum policies. Overall cordial and transparent about the changes made.
 * Ratings-- WikiProject Marketing and Advertising: Low-importance, WikiProject Museums: Low-importance, WikiProject Nevada: High-importance

Rosendale Cement

I plan on adding more about the significant structures made from Rosendale Cement. The article will emphasize why Rosendale Cement is an important historic building technology in the pedagogy of American Architecture. I will add captioned images, both historic and contemporary photos. I would also like to include a map of the famous structures made from the cement. I want to compare scholar's opinion about the impact of the Rosendale Cement on the engineering of buildings.

Potential sources:

- Final report on the geology of the Rosendale cement district / by Harold Rollin Wanless, 1920.

- Hart, Stephanie Anne. 2012. Characterization and restoration of historic rosendale cement mortars for the purpose of restoration. Ph.D. diss., Clemson University, https://proxy.library.upenn.edu/login?url=https://proxy.library.upenn.edu:2072/docview/1286753787?accountid=14707 (accessed November 14, 2018).

- Willett, L. and O’Connor, F. "Masonry Repairs at Cheshire Mill No. 1, Harrisville, New Hampshire," Journal of ASTM International, Vol. 4, No. 6, 2007, pp. 1-12, https://proxy.library.upenn.edu:2101/10.1520/JAI100724. ISSN 1546-962X

- Weil, Gilbert H.. "Protectibility of Trademark Values against False Competitive Advertising" Vol. 44, No. 3 (Jul., 1956), pp. 527-538 (12 pages)

- RETEMPERING CEMENT--MORTAR. 1903. The American Architect and Building News (1876-1908) 79, (1422) (Mar 28): 102, https://proxy.library.upenn.edu/login?url=https://proxy.library.upenn.edu:2072/docview/124643342?accountid=14707 (accessed November 14, 2018).

-- ON THE COMPOSITION OF ANCIENT CEMENTS AND ROSENDALE CEMENTS. 1873. Van Nostrand's Eclectic Engineering Magazine (1869-1879) 8, (51) (Mar 01): 205, https://proxy.library.upenn.edu/login?url=https://proxy.library.upenn.edu:2072/docview/357114786?accountid=14707 (accessed November 14, 2018).

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Review of Rosendale Cement

1.     Natural hydraulic cement not hydraulic natural cement

2.     Cement is an integral part of mortar, as is sand. Thus, natural hydraulic cement mortar sets faster that lime-based mortar.

3.     Very good chemical composition. Overall source?

4.     Other than a faster setting time, are there other advantages to using natural hydraulic cements in mortar versus lime mortar? It might be interesting to point out similarities as well as differences, one of them being allowing for moisture to exit the wall assembly

5.     Were all the natural cements produced natural hydraulic cements?

6.     I think, Portland cement mortar was also used because it set so much faster than other mortars, and for that reason construction was cheaper.

7.     How about adding a map of the areas where the product was quarried?

8.     In the Revival and present day production, you could also add that this type of cement is used  not only for aesthetic accuracy but also for practical reasons. When repointing masonry, particularly brick, in most cases, lime-based mortars could be substituted by natural hydraulic cement mortar since they share characteristics, though not the same, such as porosity or permeability. Portland cement-based mortar should never be used in historic buildings predating  Portland’s development.

9.     There is a product very similar in France, called Saint Astier which is a natural hydraulic lime, Which is also considered a “green” building product. Check the product’s web site

10. Looking good!

Thank you very much for the comments! I really appreciate your detailed responses and specific recommendations.