Emmanuel Baptist Church

The congregation at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill (1887, Francis H. Kimball) went from leaking slate roofs, water-stained paint, and crumbling plaster to a dean, vividly painted interior. The church’s interior is exceptional for its High Victorian Gothic details, with a complete stenciling scheme on walls and ceilings in deep colors highlighted with gilding. Water damage from the roof and windows had weakened plaster and dissolved water-soluble distemper paint, and post historic overpaint had been added in some areas.

In 2001 EverGreene was contracted to restore this historic church. A historic finishes investigation was undertaken in which we matched historic paint colors and documented historic patterns for replication to revitalize the interior of the church. EverGreene also performed conservation, decorative finishing, and plaster work onsite including extensive cleaning and stabilization, re-gilding,  and the recreation of historic moldings.