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Historic Preservation Services - Consulting

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Historic Restoration Services

Artifact Conservation

Effective treatment of all historic materials requires special insight into their composition and physical condition while also considering their historical, architectural, social and environmental context. We can develop treatments to meet the specific needs of a project ranging from minimum intervention to complete restoration to stop deterioration and preserve the integrity of unique historic works.

We collaborate closely with design professionals, curators, conservators, site managers and owners on each preservation project. We can assist with the evaluation of existing historic metalwork and help develop a successful preservation plan. Restoration and rehabilitation projects require a respect for the integrity of historic materials, which must be reconciled with a sustainable end use. We are sensitive to the design challenges this imposes.

Cornwall Iron Furnace, Cornwall, PA - Preliminary study for the conservation of structural ironwork

Historic Photo of early Philadelphia ironwork used in researching the original condition of an early 19th-C stair rail.

Excerpt from a full inventory made of decorative metal detail for the St. Louis I Cemetery in New Orleans, LA. This cast zinc ornament was recently stolen leaving only this record

Specific Services Offered:

Historic research and documentation
Documentation of existing conditions, materials identification
Conditions assessment
Conservation treatments
Preservation planning
Drawings and specifications for stabilization, restoration, rehabilitation and new custom work

Detail of Cornwall Iron Furnace, PA. The structural wrought ironwork on the stack and around the hearth of the furnace is subject to constant high humidity and residual salts from years of processing of iron ore, presenting some of the worst possible conditions for preservation

Photo inventory of interior door hardware of the Lincoln Cottage, Washington, DC

Click images to view enlarged

Historic Documentation, French chapel gates & railing, drawing from Berthaux, Louis, Le Parfait Serrurier, Léonce Laget: Paris, 1979, planche 74 - for researching historic precedent.	Excerpt from a full inventory made of decorative metal detail for the St. Louis I Cemetery in New Orleans, LA.		New Orleans cast iron tomb enclosure showing the effects of a settling foundation.
19th-C. New Orleans cast and wrought iron tomb enclosure needing repairs and maintenance.		St. Louis I Cemetery wrought iron work - detail of frieze with Greek fretting in wrought iron and a replacement cast in zinc.
Photo documentation of an 18th-C Spanish colonial window grill, Mission San Jose, San Antonio, TX.	St. Louis I Cemetery, New Orleans, LA, wrought iron work.		Detail of a 19th Century railing showing corrosion and a failure of the top rail assemblage at a corner post for lack of maintenance

Stephen O'Ryan Curtis & Denise Curtis
Vintage Metalwork, Inc.
255 Mullet Run Street
Milford, DE 19963
(302) 424-2270 Office
(302) 424-3768 Fax
Email

Historic Preservation Services - Consulting

Cornwall Iron Furnace, Cornwall, PA - Preliminary study for the conservation of structural ironwork

Historic Photo of early Philadelphia ironwork used in researching the original condition of an early 19th-C stair rail.

Detail of Cornwall Iron Furnace, PA. The structural wrought ironwork on the stack and around the hearth of the furnace is subject to constant high humidity and residual salts from years of processing of iron ore, presenting some of the worst possible conditions for preservation

Photo inventory of interior door hardware of the Lincoln Cottage, Washington, DC

Click images to view enlarged

Historic Documentation, French chapel gates & railing, drawing from Berthaux, Louis, Le Parfait Serrurier, Léonce Laget: Paris, 1979, planche 74 - for researching historic precedent.

Excerpt from a full inventory made of decorative metal detail for the St. Louis I Cemetery in New Orleans, LA.

New Orleans cast iron tomb enclosure showing the effects of a settling foundation.

19th-C. New Orleans cast and wrought iron tomb enclosure needing repairs and maintenance.

St. Louis I Cemetery wrought iron work - detail of frieze with Greek fretting in wrought iron and a replacement cast in zinc.

Photo documentation of an 18th-C Spanish colonial window grill, Mission San Jose, San Antonio, TX.

St. Louis I Cemetery, New Orleans, LA, wrought iron work.

Detail of a 19th Century railing showing corrosion and a failure of the top rail assemblage at a corner post for lack of maintenance

Stephen O'Ryan Curtis & Denise Curtis Vintage Metalwork, Inc. 255 Mullet Run Street Milford, DE 19963 (302) 424-2270 Office (302) 424-3768 Fax Email

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Stephen O'Ryan Curtis & Denise Curtis
Vintage Metalwork, Inc.
255 Mullet Run Street
Milford, DE 19963
(302) 424-2270 Office
(302) 424-3768 Fax
Email