A Day … or Night … at the Museum
We have two great ways to celebrate today — which is National Museum Day!
Start with a visit to a local museum to explore the mysteries that lie within … and then end the day with a trip to the theatre to see the recently-released Night at the Museum movie.
If you're fortunate enough to live in the Chicago area, we encourage you to visit the DuSable Museum. The first African American museum campus in the United States, DuSable includes the 66,000-square foot historic Roundhouse that was originally built in the early 19th century.
Made of Joliet limestone, the structure was restored in recent years and now features DaVinci Roofscapes synthetic slate roofing overhead.
"The DaVinci multi-width slate roofing tiles look amazing on the Roundhouse," says Sarah Delezen, senior project manager for the Alter Group. "The structure's original roof was made of slate, so we were pleased that these polymer roof tiles have the texture and subtle variations of color that make them appear historically accurate. The Castle Gray blend of colors in the imitation slate roof perfectly offsets the copper gutters on this structure."
Bill Latoza, LEED AP and founding principal with Bauer Latoza Studio in Chicago specified the DaVinci composite roofing products for the Roundhouse roof. 
"For me, the real selling point was the varied color selection of the DaVinci blends because it didn't make the roof look monochromatic," says Latoza. "Combined with the larger profile that allows for a strong shadow line, these synthetic slate roof tiles are ideal for historic preservation projects.
"Another reason we sought out DaVinci is because they have green-friendly building products that complement the historical integrity of the Roundhouse. At the same time, these tiles are easy-to-maintain and offer long-term benefits for the future of the structure. We're pleased with these tiles and I'll be specifying them again in the future for other historic preservation projects."
The restored Roundhouse doubles the available space for DuSable Museum, which is dedicated to the collection, preservation, interpretation and dissemination of the history and culture of Africans and Americans of African descent. See for more synthetic shake and imitation slate tiles roofing stories!