Grace Church

Designed by master architect Richard Upjohn, Grace Church has undergone multiple decorative campaigns since its original construction. EverGreene served as conservator, designer, and specialty contractor, leading a comprehensive effort to reinstate key elements of the church’s 1866 decorative scheme.

An extensive historic finishes investigation revealed a remarkable discovery: beneath layers of non-historic coatings—including a faux bois finish—lay a vibrant blue, star-patterned ceiling. This celestial composition, featuring more than one thousand stars, unfolds above a canopy of wooden trusses and strapwork evocative of a forest. The decorative vocabulary—including the eight-pointed star, three-petaled lily, and sprouting seed motifs—was traced to Ecclesiastical Ornament by Augustus Pugin, reinforcing the design’s historical authenticity.

In addition to conserving and restoring the ceiling, EverGreene developed and installed historically sympathetic ornamentation throughout the nave and chancel. Much of this work was designed and hand-painted in EverGreene’s Mural Studio. For repeating patterns, sections were first executed by hand, then photographed, digitally reproduced, and carefully hand-finished on site—ensuring both craftsmanship and consistency across the space.