A French limestone called Pierre de Nod, which was supplied by Bonnel and FrancePierre International, is a major feature of the exquisite 413 Rodeo Drive. All cornices, headers, capitols, bases, and upper pilasters are massive; the heaviest piece weighed in at 1000 pounds. Regis D'Agostin prepared the stone drawings and cutting list and selected the French fabricator, local setters and crew.

Los Angeles straddles one of the world's major fault zones, the San Andreas Fault. Along with about three dozen lesser faults that run off it, it was responsible for five serious quakes last century and dozens of imperceptible quakes every week.

Therefore, D'Agostin's system of anchorage was very important in this seismic area. Prior to construction, this system was checked and approved by the City of Beverly Hills and the client's structural engineer.

The project took D'Agostin's Californian crew only four weeks to complete, despite the difficulties inherent in dispatch because the scaffold and barricade around the building was erected only one meter (36") away.

D'Agostin counts this project as one of his greatest professional pleasures, due in a large part to his client, architect Michael Chasteen (Beverly Hills), along with the Bonnel crew who displayed such great teamwork.

421 Rodeo Drive

Project description

Spanning 30,000 square feet, the walls and floors at this mall on Rodeo Drive were in desperate need of some tender loving care. The existing Rosa Aurora marble features, which covered an area of 2500 square feet were damaged and potentially very difficult to restore. But it was not too colossal a task for Regis D'Agostin, who managed a team of 18 during the restoration, which involved removal of broken pieces followed by fabrication and installation of new pieces. The entire area was then checked, cleaned and treated.

Further details

The restoration took five months. The team of 18 who worked with D'Agostin included a stone setter and fabricator. The new pieces of Rosa Aurora were carefully selected by him to maintain the integrity and heritage of the existing marble features.

RODEO COLLECTION

It is my distinct and most sincere pleasure for me to write about my association with Regis D'Agostin. We were first acquainted in 1988 when he was the stonemason in charge of the limestone work on construction of my personal residence in Beverly Hills, California. Since that time we have worked together on many projects where limestone was used as the primary finish, both exterior and interior uses were employed, and I am able to say that I have never been disappointed with his work.

His abilities and craftsmanship are unmatched. He has done everything from consulting on the initial design and following up with the preparation of cutting lists, stone counts, coordination and oversight of the fabrication and the ultimate installation.

Regis is someone I have used on several projects, and he will always be my first choice when it comes to stone work on any of our future projects. Accordingly, I have no reservations to recommend Mr. D'Agostin for stonework.

Sincerely,

RODEO COLLECTION, Ltd
By: RDP,INC., General Partner
Behrouz Mahboubi-Fardi
Vice President