City Of Roanoke War Memorial

The Roanoke Valley War Memorial commemorates local residents who gave their lives in war from World War I to the Iraq conflict. It consists of three large tablets engraved with names and quotes, and one smaller stone onto which are mounted two bronze plaques.

We were contracted to carry out conservation cleaning of the marble and bronze while following strict city regulations on containing wastewater and run-off. First, the marble was cleaned with a mild biological detergent to remove the black soiling. Areas of microcracking were injected with grout to stabilize them. Corrosion of the plaques had caused heavy blue-brown copper staining on the marble below; this was reduced using an ammonia-based poultice system.

The bronze plaques were cleaned with detergent gentle abrasives, the lettering rubbed back to improve legibility and then the plaques were hot waxed. Replacement letters were fabricated and attached.

Maintenance recommendations were presented to City of Roanoke staff to reduce future deterioration and increase the longevity of the conservation treatment.