From September 2001 to June 2002, Museum Textile Services participated in the restoration of Gillette Castle in Hadlyme, CT. Part of the State Park system, Gillette Castle is the second most visited tourist destination in Connecticut. Built between 1914 and 1919 by actor William Gillette, the castle is an eclectic example of American Arts and Crafts sensibility with a darkly romantic, European flavor.
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"before" pictures |
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Museum Textile Services was hired by Kronenberger & Sons Restoration (www.kronenbergersons.com) to perform analysis, documentation, conservation, and restoration of the grass wall coverings. Years of tourism had taken a toll and the textiles were faded, dirty, water-stained, and had been picked at by souvenir hunters.
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"during" pictures |
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Nearly 4000 square feet of wall coverings were conserved, repaired, repainted, and coated with a UV-absorbant protective coating. Wall coverings in the Library were replaced with replicas woven from raffia and cotton.
We could not have made this job such a huge success without the help of our amazing on-site team of Melanie Clifton-Harvey, Abby Freeman, and Sophie Hammond-Hagman. This project has been presented to the Connecticut group of the American Institute of Architects, the Textile Conservation Group, Inc., and the American Institute for Conservation. |
"after" pictures |
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Many times the textile components of historic interiors are neglected and in need of conservation and restoration. Museum Textile Services works with homeowners, architects and interior designers to endure that textiles are fully analyzed, preserved and interpreted.