Project Notes
The Fox Theatre Institute (FTI) sent Molly Fortune, the Director of Restoration for The Fox Theatre, to the DeSoto to conduct several site inspections before she began work on the paint and plaster restoration of the vestibule. She interviewed board members to ascertain that the repair work had been completed and the damage was properly contained.
Once the site inspections were completed and it was determined that there was no other source that was contributing to the plaster and paint deterioration, the Fox Theatre Institute met with both Goodman Decorating and British Brush to review the restoration plan. FTI then met with the Desoto to discuss the current conditions of the theatre, review the restoration plan, outline the short and long-term goals for fixing the damage, and establish goals for the vestibule repair project.
Upon FTI's declared partnership, British Brush, a company in Rome, Georgia specializing in plaster repair and restoration, agreed to donate labor hours to complete the project if the DeSoto could raise money to pay for supplies. The DeSoto held a successful fundraiser to pay for the plaster repair.
British Brush began the plaster repair, which included recasting the missing pieces using a technique involving liquid molding. This process involves mixing specific polymers together and directly painting them onto an intact plaster member. Over the course of several weeks, more coats of the polymer are added and dried. Once the appropriate thickness is achieved, the mold is removed and there remains a negative image in which to recast the plaster form.
After completing the liquid molding process, the original plaster pieces could be cast and later reattached. Approximately 90% of the original plaster work was salvageable and was restored by applying new plaster to the back of the original plaster and pressing the pieces back into place. After restoring the original plaster, FTI addressed the remaining 10% of delaminated plaster. In general, delaminated plaster rots over time due to water interference from the plaster support, also known as lathe. In repairing delaminated plaster, the plaster is cut out and, if necessary, the underlying lathe is replaced. In the assessment of the DeSoto's plaster, FTI discovered that the lathe was metal and had not experienced any water damage. New plaster was therefore mixed to match the existing plaster and reapplied to the lathe in the standard three coats.
The next step was to re-paint the plaster. With the assistance of Goodman Decorating and British Brush, the Fox Theatre Institute performed a paint analysis including: removing the paint, removing the wooden substrate, and analyzing the surface with a hand-held microscope to ensure all necessary layers have been removed. Once extracted, FTI analyzed the paint using a high powered microscope supplied by the Fox Theatre and categorized and identified each layer including the substrate, paint, and dirt layers. After completing this analysis, FTI used the Munsell color system to match colors under the microscope. Due to the vibrancy of the actual samples and the chemical paint analysis, FTI determined that the paints were lead-based, a typical material used widely throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
Chip Tilly, a board member of the Rome Little Theatre, researched original news clippings and discovered articles that described the DeSoto and the vestibule's original colors. FTI, British Brush and Goodman Decorating then met with the Rome Little Theatre board to discuss the research, which included a description of the DeSoto's design components including the Adamesque style.
The Adamesque style emerged as a decorative style during the Georgian Period and was widely used throughout the 1700's and 1800's in the United States. Clean lines and complicated, yet muted, paint schemes using two or three paint tones (such as green as the primary then other tones of green) are common to the Adamesque style as is detailed, yet delicate, plaster work and simple lines. The Desoto's interior replicates ceiling medallions and plaster work from the Adam's plaster book which was popular throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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