Guardians of Masterpieces: How Operating Engineers 324 Keep the Detroit Institute of Arts Running
Engineers News, Spring 2025
It’s before doors open, but a small group has assembled in the warm and inviting Diego Rivera courtyard at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). Surrounded on all sides by the Detroit Industry Murals—an ode (and critique) to the Industrial Revolution and its grandness, exemplified in Ford’s Rouge automotive plants—the paintings reflect particularly brightly as the morning sun streams through the windows above.
Below the mural, which depicts the pinnacle of automation and technology in 1934, stand some of the Operating Engineers 324 members who ensure that the DIA remains one of the most prestigious art museums in the world and that the timeless works of Van Gogh, Rivera, and Rembrandt remain safe in a carefully controlled climate.
The art within the DIA represents some of the finest pieces from around the globe, but their preservation requires more than secure glass cases and careful curation. Temperature and humidity must be meticulously maintained—an often invisible but critical job performed by the stationary engineers and building mechanics represented by Operating Engineers 324. They ensure the delicate balance necessary to protect centuries-old canvases, sculptures, and artifacts from the ravages of time and environment.
Managing the intricate climate control systems at the DIA is no small task, and it falls on the shoulders of stationary engineers like Randy Tabaka and Chris Embry, alongside building mechanics Bernard McGee and Tim Main, to keep the museum’s systems running smoothly. Their work is as vital to the preservation of the art as that of the curators and conservators who study and care for it.
In the quiet of the pre-opening hours, the comfortable climate may not be the most notable thing, especially in such a historic and beautiful room. But that is just the way this team likes it.
A Round-the-Clock Operation
Operating Engineers 324 members at the DIA run a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week operation that keeps the museum’s climate systems functioning at peak performance. At the helm of this effort is Tabaka, a Stationary Engineer and Union Steward who has worked at the museum for 12 years. He starts each shift with a meticulous review of the building’s equipment, checking temperatures and humidity levels. “Our target is 70 degrees and 50 percent humidity,” Tabaka explains. “It’s especially hard in the summer. It takes skill and luck to keep everything balanced on a hot, humid day.”
Tabaka’s path to becoming a stationary engineer began more than two decades ago when he worked at a nursing home and saw a job posting for a shift engineer. The promise of better pay and stability led him to take classes with what was then IUOE Local 547. From there, he moved to Detroit Public Schools and eventually to the DIA, where he not only became a steward but also an advocate for his fellow engineers.
Joining him on the engineering team is Embry, who has been at the DIA for 28 years. Embry came from Blue Cross Blue Shield, seeking better benefits for his family. When he started at the DIA, there were only two engineers working 12-hour shifts, seven days a week. The workload was grueling, but the museum’s reputation as a first-class institution made his role essential.
Today, the workload is more evenly distributed—three engineers cover the museum—but Embry found the midnight shift to his liking. He has worked overnights for his entire tenure at the museum, even while also working across Woodward Avenue at the Detroit Public Library, a job he held for two decades.
During the four months the museum was closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the engineering staff remained on site.
“We worked every day during the pandemic,” Embry recalls. “The museum was closed to the public, but the art still needed to be protected.”
The stationary engineers operate out of a control room, monitoring four massive chillers—each with a 475-ton capacity—located in two separate chiller rooms. Steam generators outside the museum provide heat, while the engineers manage the delicate process of balancing incoming steam with the internal environment.
The Mechanics of Art Preservation
While the stationary engineers monitor the systems, the building mechanics perform critical repairs to keep everything running. Main and McGee are two of the DIA’s Building Mechanics, working behind the scenes to maintain pumps, air handlers, condensate tanks, and chilled water systems.
Main’s journey to the DIA was anything but conventional. After earning a degree in early childhood education and teaching kindergarten for eight years, he moved to Detroit to pursue a career as a visual artist. He began working at the DIA as a security guard to be closer to the art and find inspiration before transitioning into building maintenance and, eventually, becoming a building mechanic eight months ago.
“I had no idea how many things I would be learning on a daily basis,” Main says. “That’s just from working with these guys, listening to them talk, and bouncing questions off them.”
McGee followed a similar path, starting in housekeeping before moving to the maintenance department and then to building mechanics three years ago. His desire to work with his hands led him to trade school for HVAC training.
“I still have a lot to learn,” McGee says, “but I enjoy learning it.”
Both Main and McGee are currently taking classes at the OE324 Stationary Engineer Education Center in Detroit, continuing to build their skills as part of their union contract. Their education is overseen by instructors Chuck Glueck and Doug Hilburn, whose lessons help shape the next generation of stationary engineers.
Both also credit Tabaka for recognizing their interest and skills and helping them make the transition from other departments into building mechanics.
Protecting Priceless Treasures
Why is climate control so crucial? Works of art, especially those on canvas or paper, are extremely sensitive to environmental changes. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity can cause materials to expand or contract, leading to irreversible damage. Before any museum agrees to lend the DIA a piece for an exhibition, it reviews detailed records of temperature and humidity stability. The DIA’s ability to maintain such a controlled environment allows it to host world-class exhibitions that other institutions may not be able to accommodate.
“Not a lot of museums get those kinds of exhibits,” Tabaka says. “We just want to be in the back, doing what we have to do.”
“In the museum world, a controlled museum environment is crucial for preserving artifacts and artworks by minimizing deterioration from factors like temperature, humidity, light, and air quality, ensuring their long-term survival and accessibility for future generations,” explains Cedric Alexander, the DIA’s Director of Building Operations.
“Also, we look for more sustainable solutions for controlling the environment, for example understanding our carbon footprint, and looking at reducing energy cost without risk to the collection.’
A Brotherhood Behind the Walls
While their work is technical and demanding, the sense of camaraderie within the team is what makes it truly special.
“The best part of the job?” McGee reflects. “The group of guys I work with. Everybody looks out for each other. It’s like a family.”
Tabaka echoes the sentiment, noting that the team dynamic is what makes the challenging work worthwhile. “It’s a good team. I work with some great people around here.”
Alexander emphasizes the importance of continuous learning. Having worked in museum operations for 25 years, Alexander believes that experience breeds expertise. “If you keep learning, you’re always going to be golden. Your ear gets in tune with the equipment. You can walk past the mechanical room and just know when something is off.”
The Invisible Protectors
The Detroit Institute of Arts is one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States, drawing more than 500,000 visitors in 2024. Yet for every visitor marveling at the Detroit Industry Murals or the African art collection, there is a team of Operating Engineers 324 members behind the scenes, ensuring that the museum’s priceless treasures are preserved for generations to come.