Kärcher Helps Des Moines Restore its City Hall

Built 1909-1910, Des Moines City Hall is undergoing a complete renovation and restoration on its interior and exterior. Through a cultural sponsorship program provided by Kärcher, two of the company's cleaning experts removed years of biological growth soil from the city landmark using just water and without the aid of any cleaning agents or chemicals.

"City Hall is symbolic of the stability of the city, how long we've been here and preserving who we are and what we are," said Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie. "This is a fabulous opportunity for the city of Des Moines and we really thank Kärcher for their expertise and the work that they do."

"It's very important that we maintain this building and that City Hall can function and be a part of the community moving forward and for future generations," said Jason Van Essen, senior city planner of the Planning and Urban Design Division Community Development Department. "We're very excited to work with the Kärcher team on City hall. They bring a level of expertise that we wouldn't have been able to acquire for the project otherwise, and their knowledge and efforts here are greatly appreciated."

City Hall is the latest in a long line of cleaning projects completed free of charge as part of Kärcher's cultural sponsorship program, in which the company plays an active role in preserving historical monuments and buildings in cleaning projects throughout the world. Previous recipients of Kärcher's sponsorship include Mount Rushmore, the Seattle Space Needle and the London Eye.

Each of Kärcher's projects requires expert analysis in order to ensure that the structures won't be damaged in the cleaning process. For Des Moines City Hall, algae, fungi and lichen were removed gently and without pressure from the granite and limestone structure using the Kärcher HDS 4.5/22 hot water high-pressure washer. The biological soils on the surface were removed with the steam, and those deeper in the pores of the stone were destroyed by the temperature of the steam, extending the time it takes for new biological growth to develop. This cleaning process ensures that Des Moines City Hall will benefit from the cleaning restoration project for many years.

Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG
Over the past 35 years, Kärcher has carried out over 150 cleaning projects on historical monuments. Restorative cleaning work has been conducted on the colonnades at St. Peter's Square in Rome, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the over 3,300 year old Colossi of Memnon in Luxor, Upper Egypt, the president's heads at Mount Rushmore, and the Space Needle in Seattle, WA. Cleaning is always conducted in cooperation with monument conservators, restorers and art historians.

Kärcher North America, Inc.
Kärcher North America is one of the largest subsidiaries of Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG with over 1,100 employees in eight locations (including four manufacturing facilities). In North America, Kärcher produces and distributes products and services under the brands Kärcher, Windsor Kärcher Group, Landa Kärcher Group, Hotsy, Water Maze, Spraymart, Cuda Kärcher Group, WOMA Kärcher Group and Shark. The company's solutions serve customers' cleaning needs in an economical and environmentally-friendly manner.
www.karcher.com/us 

About the City of Des Moines
The City of Des Moines: Iowa's capital city and local government servicing more than 215,000 residents, 51+ neighborhoods, over 4000 miles of parkland and 81 miles of trails. The City of Des Moines stands to be a financially strong city with exceptional city services, fostering an involved community in a customer friendly atmosphere. Visit www.dmgov.org, Facebook facebook.com/DesMoinesGov and Twitter @DesMoinesGov for more information.

SOURCE Karcher North America

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