ANNOUNCING: A new 5-Year GSA contract for the conservation of sculpture and architectural arts. Commences August 1, 2022. 2022-2027 U.S. General Services Administration - NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION ID/IQ Contract 47PM1122D0002 NTE: $16,009,998.00 (5 Year Total) NAICS Code 54130 (ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES)…
Church Mosaic Conservation in Pittsburgh at Shadyside
The Shadyside Presbyterian Church in the City of Pittsburgh holds a striking mosaic of the Transfigured Christ. The mosaic was installed in 1938 by Rudolf Sheffler, but by 2020 it was in need of a church mosaic conservation treatment. Conservator…
Graffiti Removal from a Marble Artwork
While public artworks grace our local communities, parks, and public spaces not all give them the respect they deserves. They can sometimes become a casualty of vandalism: spray-painted, broken, burned, or even completely destroyed. Marcin Pikus, Conservator of Stone Sculpture…
Restoration of World War I Soldier in Columbus
Christina L. Simms, Conservator of Objects and Sculpture, and Marcin Pikus, Conservator of Stone Sculpture and Architectural Features, both of McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory, recently completed the restoration of a World War I Soldier in Columbus, Ohio. The monument, Victorious…
Big Easy Sculpture Restoration in New Orleans
The City of New Orleans has been called the "Big Easy" among other nicknames. Recently, Marcin Pikus, Conservator of Stone Sculpture and Architectural Features of McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory, performed sculpture restoration in New Orleans. The sculptures were big, but…
The Nittany Lion Shrine Gets a New Shine
The Nittany Lion Shrine, 1942 by Heinz Warneke, an earlier assessment image The Nittany Lion Shrine is located on the University Park campus of the prestigious Pennsylvania State University. The sculpture features a boldly contoured limestone mountain lion poised to…
Conservation Treatment of a River of Rust
Outside of the United States Geological Survey Building in Menlo Park, California beats the sound of Watersongs, 1996 by Douglas Hollis. The dynamic large-scale artwork features granite walls, steel railings and fences, seating, and a fountain composed of natural boulders.…
Conservation Treatment of Granite Obelisk South of the Border
One might think of a conservation project south of the border means Mexico, but in this case, it refers to a recent treatment of a granite obelisk by Marcin Pikus, Stone Sculpture and Architectural Features Conservator, in Pembina, North Dakota.…
Stone Monument Cleaning Maintenance of Chief Leatherlips
The head of Wyandot Chief Leatherlips recreated with light-colored stacked stones rises from a grassy hill off of Riverside Drive in Dublin, Ohio. The Dublin Arts Council commissioned artist Ralph Hemlick in 1988 to create the monument. Over time exposure…
Brownstone Treatment and Survey at the President’s Guest House in Washington, DC.
Marcin Pikus, Conservator of Stone Sculpture and Architectural Features, provided some emergency conservation repairs for the crumbling exterior sandstone of the President's Guest House, also known as the Blair House, in Washington, DC. He also conducted a condition survey of…