File:33. Acting Reg. Director George Palmer to Supt. GNMP George Emery (No Enclosures), June 5, 1968 (3558a87d-9c87-4218-9d85-18ed8af245c3).jpg

White paper with typed black text and a handwritten signature

June 5, 1968 Memorandum To: Superintendent, Gettysburg From: Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region Subject: Inquiry about cast stone for Louisiana Monument In response to your memorandum of May 24, subject same as above, we enclose three sets of photocopies of the title page and page 15 of the 1931 War Department regulations which appear to be applicable to the subject inquiry. Some modern forms of cast stone which are manufactured under carefully controlled conditions are handsome and very durable. This attested by the fact that they are often used for facing material on very tall and expensive buildings in locations where the facing is exposed to very severe weathering conditions. However, they are slightly cheaper than the corresponding varieties of natural stone and cost is usually the principal factor which causes them to be substituted for natural stone. Although we are reluctant to place any avoidable limitations on the scope of an artist’s choice of creative media, we are doubtful that the material proposed for this work by Mr. James W. Rice, Jr. of Box 491 College Station, Hammond, Louisiana 70401 in his letter of May 20 for use on the Louisiana Monument would be acceptable. Since he proposes to manufacture the material himself, it would appear that the preparation and testing of samples and the subsequent control of Mr. Rice’s manufacturing process would be too costly and time-consuming to make it worth trying. George A. Palmer

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