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The Salem Athenaeum is receiving a historical restoration
The Salem Athenaeum
https://www.facebook.com/thesalemathenaeum/
is doing an amazing-sounding renovation, returning to the original paint colors. I'll post the description from their newsletter below (sorry, no pictures), along with the details for a tour of an old Salem farm, but encourage folks to check out the newsletter themselves: they are hosting many of their book and poetry groups online now (I'm planning on checking out the Incessant Pipe Poetry Salon).
Facelift at the Athenaeum
Next time you visit, you may notice a difference in the Athenaeum’s portico!
The work in progress is a reproduction of the original colors of the 337 Essex Street entrance. In May 2020, historic paint conservationist Christine Thomson conducted a paint study of the portico, which involved analysis of 15 different elements of the structure, including the stucco wall, window frames, freestanding and engaged columns, pediment, shutters, and ceiling.
Photos below from Thomson's study reveal the many layers of paint applied to various parts of the portico over the past 113 years. Depending on the element studied, she found anywhere from 3 to 15 coats of paint applied since 1907—and the colors varied. The shutters, which we think of as classic black, were originally painted dark green on a light green primer!
At the request of the current Salem Athenaeum board and staff, the first generation colors on every major woodwork element have been matched to the closest contemporary commercial paint color available. Benjamin Moore Classic Colors, the color palette preferred by most architects and preservationists for color replication, has been used for this project.
This sample from the stucco wall shows the first generation warm tan followed by a greyish blue. The uppermost layers are white. The dark area underneath indicates fragments of plaster and sand.
This stratigraphy of the base of the outermost right side column shows the dark gray primer and first generation paint layer. The black dots are trapped dirt and grime.
The lighter specks are pigment.
Moraine Farm: Special Tour!
Hurry, only 3 spots left!
October 1 at 10:00 a.m.
Enjoy the crisp fall air during a walking tour of the elegant Moraine Farm landscape.
The Friends of the Landscape of Moraine Farm have extended an invitation to Athenaeum members to tour this hidden gem which is not open to the public.
Limited to ten participants, the tour is conducted following social distance guidelines. Covering approximately one and a half miles, the tours traverse dirt roads, a path through woods along the shore of Wenham Lake, through an orchard, and across a meadow.
In 1880, Frederick Law Olmsted designed this gentleman’s farm as a summer escape for the Phillips family of Boston. Moraine Farm has evolved into a site for a variety of 21st-century activities which take advantage of its 250 acres.
Learn more about Moraine Farm: morainefarmbeverly.org
https://www.facebook.com/thesalemathenaeum/
is doing an amazing-sounding renovation, returning to the original paint colors. I'll post the description from their newsletter below (sorry, no pictures), along with the details for a tour of an old Salem farm, but encourage folks to check out the newsletter themselves: they are hosting many of their book and poetry groups online now (I'm planning on checking out the Incessant Pipe Poetry Salon).
Facelift at the Athenaeum
Next time you visit, you may notice a difference in the Athenaeum’s portico!
The work in progress is a reproduction of the original colors of the 337 Essex Street entrance. In May 2020, historic paint conservationist Christine Thomson conducted a paint study of the portico, which involved analysis of 15 different elements of the structure, including the stucco wall, window frames, freestanding and engaged columns, pediment, shutters, and ceiling.
Photos below from Thomson's study reveal the many layers of paint applied to various parts of the portico over the past 113 years. Depending on the element studied, she found anywhere from 3 to 15 coats of paint applied since 1907—and the colors varied. The shutters, which we think of as classic black, were originally painted dark green on a light green primer!
At the request of the current Salem Athenaeum board and staff, the first generation colors on every major woodwork element have been matched to the closest contemporary commercial paint color available. Benjamin Moore Classic Colors, the color palette preferred by most architects and preservationists for color replication, has been used for this project.
This sample from the stucco wall shows the first generation warm tan followed by a greyish blue. The uppermost layers are white. The dark area underneath indicates fragments of plaster and sand.
This stratigraphy of the base of the outermost right side column shows the dark gray primer and first generation paint layer. The black dots are trapped dirt and grime.
The lighter specks are pigment.
Moraine Farm: Special Tour!
Hurry, only 3 spots left!
October 1 at 10:00 a.m.
Enjoy the crisp fall air during a walking tour of the elegant Moraine Farm landscape.
The Friends of the Landscape of Moraine Farm have extended an invitation to Athenaeum members to tour this hidden gem which is not open to the public.
Limited to ten participants, the tour is conducted following social distance guidelines. Covering approximately one and a half miles, the tours traverse dirt roads, a path through woods along the shore of Wenham Lake, through an orchard, and across a meadow.
In 1880, Frederick Law Olmsted designed this gentleman’s farm as a summer escape for the Phillips family of Boston. Moraine Farm has evolved into a site for a variety of 21st-century activities which take advantage of its 250 acres.
Learn more about Moraine Farm: morainefarmbeverly.org