National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial
The National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial is an expansive memorial for over 18,000 officers killed nationwide in the line of duty since 1792. Situated near the Judiciary Square Metro station, the monument features two bluegray limestone walls inscribed with the names of the fallen, each surmounted by a statuary group of a lion protecting its cubs. Set among a variety of trees and plantings, the result is a dignified and peaceful urban park.
The monument, dedicated in 1991, had accumulated staining and soiling consistent with its age and exposure over the last two decades. The soiling observed at the Memorial consists primarily of biological growth which tends to accumulate in pits or textured sections that retain moisture, particularly on horizontal surfaces, directly exposed to weather with less drainage and chance of drying. The soiling was observed to be more pronounced in locations under trees where the combination of deposits from the trees, reduced rain washing, and shade contribute to optimum conditions for biological growth. Various cleaning tests performed in recent years had yielded little success in reducing the disfiguring soiling.
Lettering Paint Study
Ongoing concerns about continued failure of the paint system, and issues of color matching with new lettering required an entire re-painting campaign. At the request of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), EverGreene created a testing and analysis regimen for comparing coating systems for the engraved lettering at the Memorial to recommend an appropriate paint.
The study was intended to test alternative paint systems and determine the best one for this engraved lettering. For the testing, we had samples of the memorial stone engraved and coated with twelve different coating systems. Three tests were designed to provide direct comparisons between the systems: accelerated weathering, outdoor weathering/exposure, and repeated cleaning. The goal was to ascertain which paint systems retained their cohesion and color over the longest timespan. The results of the tests were analyzed and presented to the client in a final report.
Ongoing Conservation
Consequently, EverGreene has been engaged numerous times to implement conservation treatments at the memorial. A specific condition imposed on the cleaning was that it could not interfere with the newly reetched lettering, either by removing the paint in the recesses or abrading the fine carving. Through a careful sequence of tests, designed to address high priority conditions but not replicate previous tests, our conservators developed a innovative cleaning process that took advantage of a newly developed cleaning gel. Carried out on a portion of the memorial to provide training for staff, it proved able to permeate into the small recesses and remove biota while leaving the lettering intact. As the memorial nears the commemoration of its twentieth anniversary, this not only improved its appearance but, by reducing moisture retention, aided in its long-term preservation.
