May marks the annual celebration of National Preservation Month, and we are thrilled to be participating in so many events across America to share our enthusiasm for history, culture, and the treasured places we care for year after year! Historic preservation focuses on maintaining accessibility and usability of cultural assets, primarily involving the remediation of material deterioration based on the…
Just as trains serve as our connection from every destination to destination, the mission of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences connects the world through the medium of motion pictures, making it fitting that the 93rd Academy Awards will be partially held at Los Angeles Union Station in addition to the traditional venue, the Dolby Theatre! As the…
As the intersection of Earth Month and Stress Awareness Month, April is all about taking care of ourselves and coworkers in the spaces we call workplaces. Luckily, being a steward of the Earth goes together with healthy habits that improve our overall daily wellness. As vaccines are rolling out across the country, many companies are making the shift to return…
“Behold I am making all things new” – Revelation 21:5 The season of Easter begins Easter Sunday and concludes on the feast of Pentecost. In the Northern hemisphere, the season of supernatural resurrection (Paschaltide) coincides with new life in the natural world. Spring gives much fodder for contemplation of Paschal mysteries. How might Christians, a self-described “Easter people” keep this…
Ford Motor Company engages EverGreene Architectural Arts to revive the grandest areas of the train depot, including the main waiting area, arcade, ticket lobby, and restaurant. The project includes the replication and restoration of approximately 56,000 square feet of decorative plasterwork, a distinguishing feature of the station’s Beaux-Arts architecture. Plaster covers most of the building’s first floor and was made…
This February, we are celebrating Black History Month (BHM) by showcasing work created by and featuring a collection of African-American artists, activists, and amazing heroes that fought for change in our country over the years. See our curated portfolio of projects relating to iconic black leaders through memorials, monuments, and murals across the nation below and follow along with us on…
As we look back on 2020, we’re thankful for all the people who make EverGreene so great. The exemplary work of our teams has rooted our company in quality and craft. In a celebratory spirit, we will highlight a variety of EverGreene’s 2020 projects, successes, and endeavors over the next 20 days. We invite you to follow along as we…
You heavens, bless the Lord…Sun and moon, bless the Lord. Stars of heaven, bless the Lord…Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven… – Psalter, Sunday Week 1, Morning/Canticle/Daniel 3:57 – 88 In what has been a time of great darkness, we are all seeking glimmers of light. If we find ourselves doing so in the night sky, we…
Supporting Our Community & Career Development Many EverGreene staff members strive to enrich the next generation of artists, craftspeople, and creative thinkers in the architectural arts field by sharing their trade, craft, and business knowledge. Our people take pride in teaching and sharing their skills and experience with students interested in our conservation, restoration, and design work. EverGreene’s passion for…
A sure sign that we’re heading towards winter is the sun setting earlier each evening. In years past, we’ve looked forward to hunkering down and staying cozy at home, but this year many of us aren’t ready to head back inside after a spring and summer of isolation. As an alternative, let’s take advantage of the early nights to spend…
I recently stumbled across this photo of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in New Brunswick, New Jersey while researching EverGreene’s work at student chapels. Even in a sea of expansive murals and historic architecture photos at schools across the country, I found this one to be the most striking. While we prioritize photos that emphasize the technical and artistic talent…
EverGreene is a proud Cornerstone Level supporter of the DC Preservation League’s virtual award ceremony for the 2020 District of Columbia Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation. We are delighted to announce that our work on the Carnegie Library in Washington D.C. has been selected for the State Historic Preservation Officer’s Award for Excellence. Join our team the DC Preservation…
The Times Square Church is a building with a long history that brought it from a movie theater, to a Broadway theater, to an Interdenominational Church. Originally built in 1930 as the “Warner Brothers Hollywood Theater” movie palace, the current French Baroque interior decoration scheme is original to the building and was a typical design scheme for 1920’s movie palaces.…
Saving Public Art in Every American City & Town Have you ever noticed a colorful mural in your local post office? Did you realize the United States Post Office (USPS) shares beautiful artwork in their spaces as well as on the stamps we use everyday? Has the power of art in public spaces impacted you during this unprecedented year? During…
The Call of the Shofar Mosaics are an ancient art form, with the earliest examples found in temple ruins in Mesopotamia dates to around 3,000 BC. Mosaics remained popular throughout the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations as decoration but did not enjoy status as a high art medium until the rise of Christianity and the use of mosaic as religious…
The Autumn of 2020 finds Americans grappling with death in ways we have not had to in generations. As Halloween, the Feast of All Saints, and the Feast of All Souls approach, commemoration has been on my mind. During the 2020 lockdown, I was back at my family home. Nestled into the woods on the road where I grew up…
We’ve found ourselves peering into beloved spaces this year, from our homes, over the internet, but we haven’t lost our deep appreciation of architecture and design! EverGreene continues to support a few of our favorite annual, NYC-based celebrations in 2020. Check out some of the amazing programming they offer during the month of October, starting with the links below! Visit…
EverGreene continues to take pride in the unique opportunity to conserve some of the most significant aerospace artifacts in the United States, including the Saturn V, Skylab Test Module, and Atlantis Space Shuttle. Preserving these artifacts plays a vital role in sustaining the scientific and cultural heritage of our country. With one foot in science and the other in the…
Ever since I ran the NYC Marathon in 2018, I dreamed of living in New York City. I fell in love with the city again when I glimpsed the theater scene in 2019 after seeing my first Broadway show, Wicked. As I was applying for internships this year, my top choice was EverGreene Architectural Arts not only because I love…
Columbia University is an Ivy League research university located in New York City. Established in 1754, Columbia has endured as a top-tier collegiate institution for over 260 years, making it the oldest institution of higher education in New York State. Its campus serves as one of the world’s most important centers for research and learning. Designed in the Beaux-Arts style…
Authored by Abigail Hembree, Marketing Intern at EverGreene and a Northeastern University undergrad studying journalism and photography I chose to attend Northeastern University because they champion experiential education. Their robust co-op program has given me the opportunity to intern with EverGreene Architectural Arts’ marketing team this semester. As I research and write about EverGreene’s extensive work at libraries, I value…
The Daily Record selected EverGreene Architectural Arts Historic Restoration of the Enoch Pratt Central Library to receive the 2020 Excellence in Construction & Real Estate Award. Established in 2019, Excellence in Construction & Real Estate awards celebrate the individuals and companies who are changing the landscape of Maryland through design, construction, project management, innovation and more. These individuals and organizations…
It’s been over a year since theaters across the country started temporarily closing their doors and postponing their shows. To say we miss them is an understatement, but we know the performing arts industry is resilient. While “the show must go on,” there’s uncertainty about how and when that will happen. Theaters have turned their parking lots into outdoor movie…
Known as the “little chapel that stood,” St. Paul’s Chapel has endured over 250 years of New York City’s history, making it the oldest public building in continuous use in the city. St. Paul’s Chapel was built as a “chapel-of-ease” for those in 18th Century New York City who deemed the walk to Trinity Church on Wall Street too far.…
Preservation Maryland Announces Best of Maryland Awards: Building Rehabilitations, Skilled Artisans, Museum Volunteers & Others Celebrated Across the Old Line State Preservation Maryland is honored to shine a spotlight on the tireless work of volunteers, architects, artisans, and legislators doing the essential work of protecting the places that make Maryland such a special place to live, work, explore – and…
An estimated 225,000 works were commissioned during the depression era under president Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal and the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project (W.P.A.), a program designed to put artists to work in paying jobs and to bring art to public places like schools, libraries and post offices where people congregate. EverGreene recently heard about the rescue of…
Theaters are an important part of every town or city across America. A source of entertainment and education, they bring people together and strengthen communities. Our work over the past four decades has brought us to hundreds of theaters across the country. Many of these theaters are attributed to the most iconic designers and architects, including Thomas Lamb. Thomas Lamb…
Atmospheric Theaters, made popular by architect John Eberson in the 1920s, featured interiors that mimicked European cities, places most Americans would never have the chance to visit and experience. Ceilings reflected the sky and projections of stars or clouds would move overhead, contributing to a magical movie experience. Fortunately, many of these beautiful theaters still operate as entertainment venues today,…
People usually notice decorative painting and gilding of architectural elements as the most dominant aspects of theater finishes, but there are many more features that contribute to the distinctive style of each interior. A wide variety of textiles contribute to the overall appearance of theaters. These can include painted fire curtains, painted drops and advertising oleos, painted or embroidered applique…
Theatres act as cultural hubs that enrich our lives and communities. Our artists and craftspeople are passionate about supporting the arts in all their forms, so it’s no surprise that in our 40 plus years we have revitalized hundreds of theatres across the country. Before the pandemic, we planned to participate in a night out at the theater with April…
The fire curtain at Bucks County Playhouse depicts the town of New Hope, PA. Landmarks of the town can be easily spotted throughout the mural and tells the story of the townspeople’s daily lives. The mural was damaged by water and faded by time, and tears in the curtain overtime had rendered it very fragile and immobile. The distemper paint…
Wednesday, July 29th, 2020 marks the 62nd anniversary of the official establishment of NASA. We applaud the heroic women and men of NASA for sixty plus decades of leading the peaceful exploration of space, making discoveries about our planet, our solar system, and our universe. Thank you for the ongoing research enabling such advances in aviation, aiding in the development…
Jeff Greene, Founder and Chairman of EverGreene Architectural Arts, was recently interviewed by Mark Miller, Chief Strategy Officer at Team One, an integrated media, digital, and communications agency, and co-author of Legacy in the Making (McGraw-Hill Education) on Jeff’s lessons learned on personal resilience, craft and quality, and prioritizing timelessness from the start by asking forward-looking questions like: “Will somebody…
EverGreene Architectural Arts has always been focused on capturing the knowledge of traditional trades and blend it with the latest achievements in science and technology. These skill sets allowed us to move into a national leadership position, and we are striving to pass them along to future generations of conservators, craftspersons and artists. Laser Focused “Laser” is an acronym for…
“Visiting the library remains the most common cultural activity Americans engage in, by far.” The Literary Hub’s report recently confirmed that Americans visited libraries on average 10.5 times last year, surpassing eight other popular leisure activities, including going to the movies—who would have thought. Libraries continue to play a central role for our diverse communities across the country, advancing literacy,…
It has been said that, at its best, preservation engages the past in a conversation with the present over a mutual concern for the future. – William Murtagh, first Keeper of the National Register for Historic Places The month of May is National Preservation Month, reminding us to celebrate America’s architectural icons, historic sites, artifacts, objects, and the diverse cultural…
EverGreene is proud to announce our Washington DC based Conservation Technician Samantha Callanta has been awarded the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant. She has been selected to attend a fully funded, week-long summer workshop in Los Angeles for 15 students designed to introduce them to conservation and other museum collections work through tours, activities, and presentations at the Getty Villa…
Many of us are now using Zoom daily for video conferencing. We are sharing some iconic EverGreene project images that you can use as your Zoom virtual background so you can virtually be at one of the beautiful sites we’ve worked restored. HOW TO USE: Below is a gallery of EverGreene backgrounds that can be used for Zoom. To add…
Iconic Cram & Ferguson Church Receives Interior Renovation and Restoration PRESRV May 2020 Newsletter The Christ Church United Methodist project is a collaboration of two prime contractors. The project is divided into two phases: restoration and renovation. EverGreene Architectural Arts is leading the Church’s restoration while PRESERV is managing the renovation. This is the first interior project to be performed…
How have you been coping with this time of uncertainty? We are connecting as a company, learning about each EverGreener’s passion for art, and sharing in the comfort of creativity through our own versions of art therapy. Our talented staff has contributed personal pieces from all across the nation to showcase how art can be a healing expression during times…
Father Damien of Molokai and Mother Marianne of Molokai, were natives of Belgium and Germany respectively, but are best known for their care of lepers (sufferers of Hansen’s disease) of the Kalaupapa Colony. In 1866 Hawaii established a leper colony on the Island of Molokai, where approximately 8,000 Hawaiian were quarantined between its nineteenth century founding and 1969 closure. Father…
Article by Bonnie Whitehouse, Business Development Coordinator You may know EverGreene from our work restoring and reviving historic theaters and performance spaces, but did you know that our work also inspires art and beauty? EverGreene focuses on work in sacred spaces, churches, temples, meeting houses, and in some special cases, these sacred spaces are transformed into performance spaces. An article I…
Restoration and conservation of historic architecture includes the buildings that house museums. Some of the museums we’ve worked at are currently offering virtual tours and online learning opportunities. We invite you to take a virtual tour: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum – Washington, D.C. | Online Learning Once you are on the site, you will see the different sections labeled:…
When the Oak Park Unity Church was destroyed in a fire in 1905, the Unitarian Universalist congregation turned to local architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design their new church. Frank Lloyd Wright not only lived and worked in Oak Park, IL at the time, but came from a Unitarian Universalist Family. (Did you know EverGreene’s Chicago-based team resides in Oak…
EverGreene is proud that our Founder Jeff Greene has been inducted into Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process. With more than 40 years…
How Conservation Altered the Path of a Young Artist Join EverGreene Architectural Arts’ Conservator Brooke Young Russell as she returns to her alma mater Garrison Forrest School in Owings Mills, Maryland. She will be discussing her career combining arts and chemistry. Brooke specializes in architectural conservation in paint, working to preserve architecture in historic buildings and structures ranging from the…
EverGreene Has Conserved & Restored 38 U.S. Capitols The 50 United States capitols were built over 150 years. Their architecture represents a broad spectrum of techniques, styles, materials, and artistic finishes, influenced by diverse cultures and traditions. Forty-four capitols are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and nineteen of those are further designated as National Historic Landmarks, reinforcing…
Wallpaper Reproduction Feature: EverGreene’s design, digital reproduction, and preservation work on the historic wallpapers that survived in the Clara Barton House (Washington, DC) was recently featured in the new release of Restoring Your Historic House book by Scott T. Hanson. The 720-page hardcover volume sheds the light on some of the best practices in historic building preservation, representing a range…
The CCFM (Conference for Catholic Facility Management) Summer 2019 Newsletter features the moving story of returning a beloved sacred space to the community of Schenactady New York’s St. Anthony’s Church. Schenectady is a small city with no shortage of economic hardship, and like much of America, waning Mass attendance. When a fire ravaged St. Anthony’s Church in 2014, there was…
Published by the Smithsonian EverGreene is proud to announce the publication of a new volume of “Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation” series that brings together papers presented at the first-ever conservation conference solely dedicated to aluminum – “Aluminum: History, Technology and Conservation” – held at the Smithsonian Institution’s American Art Museum in 2014. The paper features the work coauthored by…
New York, NY—July 29, 2019 Effective immediately, Sarah Kloze will be leading EverGreene’s Project Management team, responsible for the execution of some of the most significant restoration and conservation projects in the country. In this new role, her responsibilities include the management of the over 160 Union and Non-Union craftspeople, engaged in projects all over the country. Kloze is currently…
Preserving Our Heritage of Exploration Our team has had the honor and responsibility of conserving some of humanity’s greatest cultural artifacts, including Saturn V rockets located at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. Saturn V rockets launched astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon during the legendary…
EverGreene’s Director of Sacred Spaces, Emily Sottile is a featured author in the New York Landmark’s Conservancy Common Bond publication, which serves as the Conservancy’s technical journal dedicated to the care and maintenance of historic religious properties. Emily writes about “Sanctuary Interior Decoration, found on pages 23-28. This issue of Common Bond celebrates the diverse range of styles found in…
United States Marine Corps, Parris Island, SC 2019 Preserving U.S. Military Heritage Conference, Fredericksburg, TX, June 4-6, 2019 Authors: Joseph Sembrat and Mark Rabinowitz Abstract The Iwo Jima Monument located at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, is a one-third scale model of the well-known United States Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima…
New York, NY – On May 7, 2019, Women Builders Council (WBC) celebrated its 15th Annual Champion Awards Dinner at the Grand Hyatt New York. As the leading association for women in the building trades, Women Builder Council’s annual event featured over 600 guests and recognized 165 Outstanding and Next Generation Women Builders from top companies for the important role…
EverGreene’s Emily Sottile, Director of Sacred Spaces co-authored a recent blog with Mark Cousineau, of Henniger’s Religious Goods. St. Peter in Mansfield is a large, Romanesque church, in the heart of Ohio. Its architecture lends itself to decoration, with vaulted ceilings, intricate capitals, and traditional entablature. In 1944 St. Peter’s commissioned artist, John Bernat to paint the interior of the…
Join Archtober for our inaugural family-friendly Building of the Day tour at 3:30pm on October 15th, 2018! Guided by a CFA Design Educator and a Rockwell Group architect, families will learn about this unique theater, discovering its historic and contemporary significance as Broadway’s littlest theater! This tour is only for students in grades 5-8, accompanied by an adult. In 2015,…
This coloring book showcases some of our most important projects spanning across the US over the last forty years. Unlock your inner artist, for an opportunity to be featured on our online sites. Entering the contest is easy. Just share your designs and trivia answers on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK or TWITTER, with the hashtag #EAA40Color! Answers to the trivia questions can be found on the project pages here…
What goes through your head as you walk through the threshold of a brand-new opportunity…fear, excitement, anxiety? In my case it was fear mixed with thoughts on how I would get through the locked door (don’t worry, I eventually got in.) When I first started my internship at EverGreene Architectural Arts, I was quite intimidated by the level of skill…
My first week working at EverGreene Architectural Arts, I was tasked with researching churches in Pennsylvania. I was dismayed to learn that many of the churches were closing down. Declining populations combined with the recent church scandals and a general decline in religious beliefs led to the decay and neglect of these beautiful, historic, churches that once instilled civic pride.…
EverGreene has had the privilege of restoring numerous artworks by legendary black Americans. This month, we take a closer look at some of these murals and the artists who created them as well as the restoration of Civil Rights activist Medgar Evers’ home. Each of the projects, by contributing to the African-American historical narrative has contributed significantly to the United…
…and what’s next for Evergreene Architectural Arts Forty years gives you quite a perspective on the trends and changes in the landscape of how we think about ornament, design, preservation, conservation, art integration into the built environment, and applied industrial design effects on everyday life. I started EverGreene in 1978 when I was twenty-four years old and all I wanted…
Join us on Thursday, June 14, 2018 for the annual New York Construction Awards, presented by Anchin, in cooperation with the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC-NY), the American Institute of Architects–New York Chapter (AIA New York), the Subcontractors Trade Association (STA) and Willis Towers Watson. Designed to highlight rapidly growing and innovative Construction, Design (Architecture &…
May 23, 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE EverGreene Architectural Arts Inc. Acquires Heritage Preservation Leader Conservation Solutions Inc. (CSI) New York, NY – EverGreene Architectural Arts Inc., the nation’s largest specialty contractor of architectural arts, announces today the acquisition of long standing partner Conservation Solutions inc. (CSI.) CSI is an internationally recognized heritage preservation firm providing conservation services to public and…
Sun Ok Chun, Designer & Decorative Painter Hometown: Seoul, South Korea Education: BFA in painting Sungshin University, MFA in painting Pratt University Years working EverGreene: 20+ Sun Ok had just finished her master’s degree at Pratt and was contemplating returning to South Korea when she received an offer from EverGreene to work on paintings and stencils for the Montana State…
Join DLFNY, Aurora Lampworks, EverGreene Architectural Arts and the New York Public Library for a fascinating behind closed doors exploration of the renovated Rose Reading Room at the library’s landmark 5th Avenue location. We will learn about the skill and craftsmanship used to restore this majestic space, the challenges faced by the design team, and how the twenty-two magnificent 1500…
EverGreene employees recently supported Emily Sottile, Director of the Sacred Spaces Studio, by participating in her 6th year of issuing anonymous “Valentines” to women survivors of domestic abuse living in temporarily living in NYC Safe Horizon shelters. The Project Valentine goodie bags are filled with little items contributors won’t miss that can make a woman who has had to abandon…
SECOND STAGE’S HAYES THEATER 2018 RENOVATION This tiny Broadway treasure, built in 1912 as the Little Theatre, takes on Act II as the theater transforms to a colorful space taking cues from today’s digital world! The skilled artists and theater renovation specialists at EverGreene Architectural Arts worked with Second Stage, and architect/theater designer David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, to…
Zinni Veshi moved to New York from Albania in 1998 to attend the MFA program at the Pratt Institute of Art and Design. In his twelve years at EverGreene, Zinni has created new artwork for churches, state capitols and commercial spaces. His own paintings are dynamic and arresting; vibrant swaths of color move the eye from stroke to stroke around…
A Behind the Scenes Tour of EverGreene Architectural Arts Speakers: Kim Lovejoy, Senior Business Developer, and Bill Mensching, Creative Director, EverGreene Architectural Arts, New York, NY 2 AIA HSW Learning Units This tour will take participants to EverGreene’s new 20,000 square foot architectural arts studio in Brooklyn’s Industry City. Industry City is an adaptive reuse of six million square feet…
EverGreene is pleased to announce that three Brooklyn projects—Kings Theatre, Grace Church and St. Joseph’s CoCathedral—have been honored with Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards from the New York Landmarks Conservancy. In 2013, St. Joseph’s was elevated to CoCathedral status. To prepare for the 2014 rededication, EverGreene Architectural Arts restored historic finishes, conserved century-old murals and added new liturgical artwork—including the…
Illinois State Capitol Receives A National AIA Award We are thrilled to announce that the Illinois State Capitol West Wing Restoration has won a National AIA Honor Award for Interior Architecture! In addition to being recognized by AIA, the restoration of the Illinois State Capitol West Wing also received the Driehaus Award from Landmarks Illinois. Earlier phases of the Capitol…
It’s summer, finally! And this means time to get ourselves outdoors to explore and discover. Reacquaint yourself with your city or explore a new one and revive your senses with outdoor art. The newest addition to NYC’s outdoor art lineup is Big Bling by Martin Puryear, in collaboration with Digital Atelier. Located on the main lawn of Madison Square Park,…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The time when we gather ‘round the fire, exchange gifts and stories and remember the most important things: love, happiness and the pursuit of the perfect present. With the rise of Amazon and e-commerce, we’ve lost touch with real-life retail experience. It’s time to switch things up, return to pre-internet age and…
In love? In lust? Mr. Right or Right Now? No matter… make Valentine’s Day unforgettable by enjoying a little history and a lot of beauty… New York In New York, there’s a historic building at almost every turn. Wind your way to the Great White Way and see a show in any of the restored early-20th century masterpieces lining Broadway…
John Coburn began working at EverGreene shortly after finishing his MFA at the New York Academy of Fine Art in 1997. In Bring It On (2006), we witness an attack on a well-groomed subdivision, from a bird’s-eye-view, rendered in a flat, graphic style—as if it were a screenshot from a video game. Bombs hit their targets in, comic book-like “kaboom!”…
Best Restoration Project Award In The Southwest Region The Maricopa County Security Building, once the tallest building in Arizona, has been entirely revitalized. Under the guidance of Foresite Construction, EverGreene restored the decorative paint and plaster in the 8th floor ballroom. Our conservators often use a hybrid of traditional preservation techniques and contemporary restoration strategies to return functionality to a…
Who are America’s four best-loved actresses? If you answered Ethel Barrymore, Marilyn Miller, Mary Pickford and Rosa Ponselle—admittedly, a long shot—you’re going to be delighted to know that four diminutive marble statues of these larger-than-life theatrical figures have returned to their golden niches in the landmark I. Miller Building at Broadway and West 46th Street. The statues, by Alexander Stirling…
Presented at the Mid-Century Modern Structures: Materials and Preservation Symposium April 14-16, 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri Justine P. Bello, Caroline Guay, Tom McDowell, Mark Rabinowitz, Joseph Sembrat While the influence of the machine age on architecture and design is well known, seen in the streamlining of the Art Deco and Modernist styles, the “space age” is more a cliché…
Jewel Box: Creation and Preservation of Dalle de Verre Walls by Gabriel Loire The Second building that was erected on the Bacardi company campus in Miami, Florida, where the international spirits firm relocated after the fall of Cuba, was the “Jewel Box”, a fascinating 1973 Modernist structure by Ignacio Carrera-Justiz. The starkly simple geometry of the building: a two story…
Authors: Mark Rabinowitz & Carol Grissom From the mid-1850s through the early 20th century zinc statues proliferated in the United States, with a few even dedicated after World War II. Most were purchased for smaller towns or organizations without the financial resources to purchase unique and more expensive bronze statues that they were intended to resemble. While the zinc can…
A careful investigation of the conditions is required before recommendations can be made for treatments to repair architectural terra-cotta surfaces. The beauty of glazed terra cotta, with its rich palette of earth tones and glassy surface, has been exploited by architects to enliven building façades since very early times. In addition to the tonal variations inherent in fired-clay bodies, color…
Case Studies of the treatment of several fountains in a tropical environment Overcoming Challenges: Metal Exploration and Restoration A firm with a long history of decorative metal exploration and restoration discusses some of the problems and options available. Architectural metals – a building’s jewelry, consisting of ornate grilles, panels, doors, cornices and sculpture – create visual delight through intrinsic and…
Fountain Conservation Fundamentals July 10–11, 2013–Kansas City, MO Author: Mark Rabinowitz Fountain conservation requires treating historic elements within an active and public environment whose operational needs may directly conflict with those of the preservation of the fountain’s materials. Changes since their construction in visitor safety requirements, water conservation, ecological sustainability, and display goals also affect and interfere with the preservation…
Outside the Canon: A Review of Unique Approaches to Stone Conservation 12th International Congress on the Deterioration and Conservation of Stone Columbia University, New York, NY Authors: Justine Posluszny Bello, Daniel Lane, Mark Rabinowitz, Joseph Sembrat For the best of reasons, conservators tend to rely on tried and true means and methods when treating stone at the expense of innovation.…
The New York Public Library Statuary–Marble Deterioration & Conservation 12th International Congress on the Deterioration and Conservation of Stone Columbia University, New York, NY Authors: Mark Rabinowitz & John Carr Created by 4 different sculptors, the marble sculptures at the New York Public Library’s east façade demonstrate how a variety of styles (Classical, Impressionist, Baroque, and idiosyncratic) and diversity of…
American Institute for Conservation, Objects Group, Norfolk, VA, 1995 Author: Mark Rabinowitz In the 1980’s, the Central Park Conservancy began the project of restoring the 33 masonry arches that are an important functional and decorative component of Central Park. These structures were designed by Calvert Vaux with the assistance of Jacob Wrey Mould to carry the carriage road over cross…
Conservation of Large-Scale Metal Artifacts Authors: Justine Posluszny Bello, Patricia Miller, Mark Rabinowitz, Joseph Sembrat The conservation of large-scale metal artifacts presents many challenges, the least of which is size. From inspection through treatment and beyond, the conservator must develop a regimen both thorough enough from a conservation viewpoint yet practical enough to be implemented on a large-scale and possibly…
The Federal Triangle is located between Pennsylvania Avenue, Constitution Avenue and 15th Street, NW and is part of the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site. It includes a group of important and prominent Federal office buildings. Designed by the Philadelphia architects Zantzinger, Borie and Medary, and constructed between 1931 and 1935, the Classical Revival style building is distinguished by Art Deco…
Gilding at the Smithsonian, Washington, DC September 23, 2006 Author: Mark Rabinowitz This is not a review of a conservation treatment per se. I was not a party to the treatment about which the questions I would like to discuss revolved. My involvement in this project began only after the work had been completed, when I was engaged by the…
Where the Structure and Associated Features, Interiors, Gardens, and Outdoor Sculpture, Are Major Components of the Collection Author: Mark Rabinowitz In historic house museums, museums housed within historic structures, and those with extensive outdoor art collections integrated into the buildings and grounds, the normal divisions between collections and facilities break down. Maintaining ideal environmental conditions from a collections standpoint may…
The History and Conservation of Jefferson Davis McKissack’s Orange Show This lecture was part of the Divine Disorder Conference on the Conservation of Outsider Folk art that was organized and hosted by NCPTT. The conference was held February 15–16, 2012 on the campus of Northwestern University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The Orange Show is a folk-art environment located in Houston’s East…
The Conservation of a 17 Ton Section of the Hull Recovered from the RMS Titanic Wreck-site and an Evaluation of the Treatment Three Years Later APTI Conference, Portland, ME, September 2003 Author and Speaker: Joseph Sembrat At 6:18pm on 10 August 1998 a heavily encrusted piece of iron wreckage emerged into the air for the first time in 86 years.…
The Association for Preservation Technology International Annual Meeting, Monterey, CA, USA, October 2001 Author and Speaker: Joseph Sembrat The Barnard Statuary Group is located at the main entrance to the Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The two Carrara marble groups were carved in Pietrasanta, Italy from 1903 to 1911 by the Piccirilli Brothers of New York. Each monumental…
The salvage and treatment of a significant section of the Titanic illustrate the great logistical and technological challenges associated with the conservation of a monumental iron artifact recovered from a marine environment. Conservation of the RMS Titanic “Big Piece”: A Case Study and Critical Evaluation Author(s): JOSEPH SEMBRAT, PATRICIA MILLER and JUSTINE POSLUSZNY BELLO Source: APT Bulletin: The Journal of…