Jeff Greene will be presenting on the preservation process this week at SAIC! Entry is free, and no RSVP is required. Just show up and be inspired. If you’re in the Chicago area, we’d love if you could join us.

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Join us for a panel presentation to kick off the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s (NYLC) Sacred Sites Open House weekend. Industry experts will discuss the process and challenges of pursuing a renovation for historic worship spaces. We’ll talk about communicating the importance of historic buildings, fund raising, and restoration options.

Panelists:
• Architects Walter Sedovic, FAIA LEED & Jill H. Gotthelf AIA FAPT
• Historic Finishes Expert & Restoration Contractor, Jeff Greene
• Episcopal Priest & Capital Campaign Consultant, Jerry Keucher

Moderated by: Ann-Isabel Friedman Director of NYLC’s Sacred Sites Program

Attendance is free, but space is limited and registration is required.
Light refreshments will be served.

Video courtesy of the Seattle Times. Click Here for a photo essay of the opening event.

Our work is just about done! We’re putting on the finishing touches, and are so proud of the new main waiting room at King Street Station. We hope you’ll join us at the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Grand Reopening event.

Wednesday, April 24, 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Main Waiting Room, King Street Station, South King Street and Third Avenue South

RSVP by emailing trevina.wang[at]seattle.gov.

More information here.

Today’s New York Times features an article about the murals in lower Manhattan’s Verizon Building. EverGreene has had the honor of working on these murals twice – once after the damage caused by 9/11, and again after Hurricane Sandy.

Be certain to click through the slide show to see images of Sandy’s devastation and EverGreene’s conservators at work.

The 14 Penn Plaza restoration project has been honored with a Lucy G. Moses Award from the the New York Landmarks Conservancy– this makes our 16th Lucy-winning project! Originally designed by Schwartz & Gross in 1925, EverGreene reinstated historic finishes in the lobby of 14 Penn Plaza including the decorative paint and ornamental plaster.  We worked closely with Swanke Hayden Connell Architects to develop new ornament based upon the original decoration. The Moses Awards are the Conservancy’s highest honors for outstanding preservation efforts and have been awarded for the past 40 years.

A shop drawing of a bracket which was then crafted in EverGreene’s Plaster Studio

Read more about the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Moses awards here.

Please join us on February 20th, 11:30-1:30pm with the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles at the First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena for an awe inspiring seminar featuring a special presentation by EverGreene President, Jeff Greene.  Registration is open to all Clergy, Professionals, Students, and anyone interested in sacred art, design, and architecture.

The Seminar will cover discussion on the use and meaning of sacred space in churches and synagogues… co-sponsored by Fuller Theological Seminary and the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.

Jeff will take on the subject of sacred spaces and tell the story of his life’s pursuit which will cover some of the same themes as his talk on Sacred Architecture at the Liturgical Institute in Illinois in October, but with a fresh new angle. Over the past 34 years Jeff Greene has devoted himself to understanding sacred spaces.  He has been involved in the restoration and design of over 200 churches across the country. Drawing upon his experience Jeff will explore what makes a space sacred in his presentation as the main speaker at the Sacred Spaces II Seminar.

Other presenters and panelists include Fuller Theological Seminary’s William Dyrness, Ph.D., Hebrew Union College’s Joshua Holo, Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary’s Richard Mouw, Ph.D., and Jonathan Freund from the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.

First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena
3799 E. Sierra Madre
Pasadena, CA 91107

RSVP by NO LATER than February 8th online at www.jewishla.org/sacred-spaces-ii 

Kosher Lunch Provided!

For more information, email boardofrabbis@jewishla.org or call 323.761.8600.

EverGreene will now be offering a Plaster Workshop for AIA Continuing Education (CES) for  Learning Units, or for anyone looking to expand their knowledge of plaster.

Over the past 34 years a substantial portion of EverGreene’s work has focused on the restoration, consolidation, replication and new design of ornamental and flat plaster.  We have had the opportunity to study the application and behavior of this versatile material in scores of new and historic buildings across the country.  Through exploration of the most ubiquitous historic and contemporary systems as well as examination of case studies this program aims to better acquaint participants with plaster systems and application, the materials, and essential considerations for successful new and historic plaster projects.

This will workshop will:

1. Improve your ability to design projects that include plaster elements, promote long lasting repairs and avoid common pitfalls.

2. Review terminology, and dispel misconceptions about plaster applications.

3. Examine the methods used to evaluate the stability of existing plaster for historic restoration projects.

If you or your firm is interested, we can set up a time to host a workshop at our New York Studio, or provide a workshop in your own office if you are in the New York area. Please contact Emily Sottile for more information on scheduling or if you would like to be a part of our next plaster workshop.

For more information on AIA’s CES program, click here.

Join us on November 30th for the world premiere of “IN ALL THINGS”,  a documentary film detailing the history of the Church of St. Francis Xavier. The film features the work of EverGreene, including interviews with Jeff and other members of the EverGreene family!  This documentary has been in the works for 3.5 years by writer, director, and producer Patrick Brewis, and edited by Emmy-winners David Bhagat and Robin Skeete.

The film explores the rich history of the church through the lens of the recently completed renovation and restoration, while simultaneously weaving the thread of mission and service from the founding of the Society of Jesus through the founding of Xavier Mission, and right up to our present work for the poor and marginalized of the surrounding community.

There is no cost to attend the screenings and no ticket is required.  Seating will be first come, first served (doors open at 7:30pm on both Friday and Saturday Nights).  Free will offerings will be accepted by Church of St. Francis Xavier.

The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Rotunda is officially open! This past week EverGreene’s head conservator and Director of Restoration, Kim Lovejoy, was honored to serve as a special guest for the official re-opening press event yesterday, October 25th. Kim led tours of the mural and had the chance to share with museum patrons the story of our restoration process. The New York Times’  Edward Rothstein covered the reopening, below is an excerpt from his article describing the murals.

“And while the dueling barosaurus and allosaurus usually dominate the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda within, on this occasion we are lured to elaborate murals, partly hidden behind pillars, covering 5,200 square feet of the walls.

Freshly restored — their canvas was detaching from the mounts — they appear to be swirls of ocher and red-orange fantasy, a child’s picture book stretching upward, teeming with exoticism. There are mountain peaks and construction equipment, lions and zebras, surveying equipment and weaponry, Genghis Khan, Japanese warriors, a seated Buddha, a Boy Scout, scientific researchers and, again and again, Roosevelt.”

EverGreene was honored to be a part of the restoration for this historic site.

Click Here to read the rest of the New York Times article.

Click Here to read more about the murals and the rotunda on the American Museum of Natural History’s website.

What makes a space sacred?

Over the past 34 years Jeff Greene has devoted himself to understanding sacred spaces.  As president of EverGreene Architectural Arts he has been involved in the restoration and design of over 200 churches across the country. Drawing upon his experience Jeff will explore what makes a space sacred in his presentation at the Liturgical Institute’s Glory of Catholic Architecture conference on October 26th.

For more information and to register for the conference please visit the Liturgical Insitute’s website here.

If you are unable to attend the conference and would like a transcript of Jeff Greene’s What Makes a Space Sacred? talk please contact Patricia Zimmerman in our Chicago office at pzimmerman@evergreene.com or 708.358.1642.

Come join EverGreene for our open house on Saturday, October 6th! Tour the studio that houses our world class and award winning designers, painters, sculptors, and conservators.

We are a full service studio that specializes in restoration, conservation, decoration, and new design for civic, sacred, theatrical, institutional, commercial, and private spaces. EverGreene has been privileged to work with thousands of projects across the US and all over the world since our establishment in 1978, and we are opening our doors for you to come learn how we do it. Some examples of our past work that can be seen in New York include Radio City Music Hall, Empire State Building, and the Plaza Hotel.

One hour tours begin every thirty minutes on the hour and half hour, and begin at 10:30 am, and continue until 4:30 pm.

450 West 31st Street, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10001

We are located nearest the A, C, and E trains at Penn Station.

Keep up to date! Visit us on Facebook for more information and to keep up with what EverGreene is doing.

Visit OHNY for more open house opportunities, and to learn more about Open House New York.

A team of archaeologists, headed by Simcha Jacobovici  discovered a series of 2,000 year- old ossuaries beneath a condominium complex in Israel. On one of the ossuaries is believed by the team to be one of the first archaeological examples that contains christian iconography. Jacobovici posits that the cave, then, served as a burial space for some of Jesus’ disciples who actually knew him.

EverGreene was asked to recreate the two ossuaries for an exhibition and press conference at the Discovery Times Square exhibition space. Based on photographs that were taken of the ossuaries with a robotic arm and camera, we mapped out their dimensions and patterns, and then set about replicating them.

The following images are from the plaster shop, with art director Bill Mensching, sculptor Javlon Yarmuhamedov, and artist Sunok Chun meeting with Jacobovici to verify that the ossuaries were recreated correctly.

Going over the compilation of images taken from the burial spot

Discussing the iconography on the ossuary

In front of one of the ossuaries that had already been painted to look like limestone

Javalon and Sun ok painting

Bill putting the finishing touches on an ossuary

Mapping out the markings

Here are some links to articles about the find:

Daily Mail UK

Haaretz

MSNBC

We made a video explaining what finishes investigations are and how they work. Check it out!

For over 30 years, EverGreene Architectural Arts has striven to be a pioneer in environmental sustainability. On a fundamental level, environmental sustainability is inherent to any restoration process: by conserving, maintaining, and restoring an interior, a vast amount of resources are spared, and it is in this manner that a core element of EverGreene’s business is at its inception intrinsically ‘green.’ EverGreene’s restoration practices are, however, just the beginning. Through the use of sustainable materials, working with local vendors, innovating material re-use, and recycling materials from job sites, ‘green’ practices are central to EverGreene’s business. Perhaps the pinnacle of EverGreene’s innovation is development of the G Series line of environmentally sustainable decorative finishes. Developed and produced in EverGreene’s NYC studio, the G Series includes materials such as:
- Low-VOC paints and sealants
- Lime-based plasters
- 100% recycled post-consumer glass coatings
- Salvaged precious metals

Combining aesthetics, durability, and sustainability, the G Series epitomizes EverGreene’s passion for ‘green’ innovation. Examples of G Series Applications include:
- The glass bead coating wall finish at a 409,000 square-foot state facility in California
- The lime-based plaster wall finish at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California
- The salvaged precious metals and plaster wall finish at a high-end apartment on New York’s Upper East Side

How to Measure EverGreene’s Effectiveness
Through a variety of practices, EverGreene uses its restoration and conservation techniques to look squarely towards the future.
- EverGreene’s plaster department employs trained craftsmen skilled in the consolidation of plaster, the reattachment of existing ornamental plaster, and the mechanical and crack repair of plaster. – EverGreene conservators recycle materials from their restoration sites to be either re-used or repurposed on other projects, thereby ensuring the lowest amount of waste possible. – EverGreene has pioneered various processes aimed at the re-use of specific on-site materials that would otherwise have to be discarded, achieved by consolidating existing finishes in order to spare an excess use of materials on site.
One of the metrics for determining the effect of restoration and conservation is called ‘embodied energy’ – an approximation of how much energy is required to transport materials to a building site, build a building, and then use it. In turn, the embodied energy of an historic building is equal to 5 to 15 gallons of gasoline per square foot. Therefore, with the 300 billion square feet of extant space in the United States, the current square footage of the US is equal to 1.5 to 4.5 trillion gallons of gas. This absolutely massive number speaks to the necessity of conserving and maintaining existing buildings rather than fabricating new structures. EverGreene is painstakingly aware of the exigency of conserving as much embodied energy as possible, and therefore goes to great lengths to develop innovative and unique means of maintaining and restoring as much of a project as possible.
In the aforementioned ways and many others, EverGreene has been and continues to be a pioneer in the design, innovation, and implementation of environmentally sustainable practices.

After 100 Years of Waiting, New Murals Complete Kentucky Capitol’s Classical Interior

FRANKFORT: Timed to coincide with the Kentucky State Capitol’s centennial celebration on June 4th and 5th 2010, EverGreene Architectural Arts has been commissioned to paint 4 pendentive murals, to be installed in the rotunda of Kentucky’s Statehouse.

When the Capitol Building was originally built, plans were in place for the muralist Frank Millet—a former Harvard classmate of Kentucky’s then Governor August E. Willson—to design and paint the mural pendentive areas. Tragically, Millet died on the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic on April 14, 1912, and with his passing, plans for murals in the Capitol rotunda were put on hold. Several initiatives to resurrect the murals were proposed in the years thereafter, but the various plans were shelved due to economics of state government.

When EverGreene Architectural Arts performed a restoration of the Kentucky State Capitol’s State Reception Room in 1991, Jeff Greene presented Capitol officials with a sketch of what the Capitol Rotunda could look like with painted pendentive murals. The sketch was put in an attic, and found by chance in 2005 by David Buchta, the Director and State Curator of the Kentucky Division of Historic Properties.

The Division of Historic Properties subsequently initiated a restoration of the Capitol Rotunda. The planning, logistics, and fundraising took over three years; in the course of this, Mr. Buchta and others realized that the restoration of the rotunda was an ideal time to incorporate new murals into the Capitol Centennial Legacy Commission. Based on Mr. Greene’s sketch from over a decade before, Mr. Buchta contacted EverGreene and began a discussion about the design process; initially, however, though the murals were solicited, the planning committee lacked the funding to actually commission the pendentive murals.

Marion Forcht, a member of the Historic Properties Advisory Commission, stepped forward to underwrite the entire mural project. Thanks to her extraordinary generosity, mural pendentive areas were—after close to 100 years of waiting—finally designed for the Kentucky State Capitol Rotunda. The donation is the largest in the history of the Capitol.

There are four pendentives, each with allegorical symbolism, historical iconography, and various symbols, landmarks, and representations of the State of Kentucky.

Pendentive 1: Nature: The Bounty of the Land This pendentive celebrates Kentucky’s agrarian foundations with the allegorical figure Ceres, symbol of agriculture and bounty. She is flanked by a jockey and a farmer, further emblems of some of Kentucky’s most notable agrarian symbols. In the background and in the stencils, farmland, race- tracks, and golden wheat indicate a bountiful harvest. The faux bas- relief depicts the aboriginal, pre- western beginnings of the commonwealth.

Pendentive 2: Industry: The Strength of Commerce This pendentive underscores the strength and breadth of Kentucky’s commercial underpinnings. The allegorical figure Mercury (or Hermes) represents commerce and trade, and is joined by a figure moving a barrel of bourbon, a significant element of Kentucky’s economy, and a blacksmith, who signifies the commonwealth’s well- documented history of manual labor, craftsmanship, and industry. Other iconographical elements include a locomotive crossing the Ohio River Bridge in Louisville, the Ashland refineries lining the riverbanks, and a faux- bas relief at pendentive’s base depicting a Native American Paleo- Indian period scene of the prehistory of industry.

Pendentive 3: Culture: The Fruits of Knowledge In this pendentive, the allegorical figure “Muse of the Arts” represents the tradition of music and dance, two elements intrinsic to Kentucky’s cultural heritage. The other figures of the pendentive are that of a teacher and a young girl learning to play the dulcimer, Kentucky’s state instrument, and a Jurist figure representing elements of law and instruction. The background includes elements of the Kentuckian landscape such as the Red River Gorge, and the faux bas- relief at the base of the pendentive depicts Native American men from the Woodland Period at Wickliffe Mounds (in Western Kentucky) playing drums.

Pendentive 4: Civitas: The Light of Progress This pendentive depicts the allegorical figure Athena, the goddess of civilization, progress, and strength. She is complimented by a coalminer, a symbol of one of Kentucky’s signature industries, and a city planner, a representation of progress and enlightenment. The faux bas relief at the mural’s base portrays Native Americans in animal skins hunting along Kentucky’s Buffalo Trace. In the background, symbols of technical and municipal progress such as the Roebling Suspension Bridge, the Lincoln and Davis memorials, and others are highlighted.