Renovation work on the Curtis Center in Philadelphia's
Washington Square has stopped in order to save a work of art.
The Curtis Center, which is changing its office spaces
into luxury apartments, houses a 15 by 49-foot mosaic glass mural made 100
years ago by the artists Maxfield Parrish and Louis Comfort Tiffany.
"Dream Garden" has been designated by the city
as an historic object. And, in 2001, the Pew Foundation paid $3.5 million to
make sure it was not whisked away by casino owner Stephen Wynn. It is now owned
by the museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
"The museum had installed some equipment to measure
vibrations," said Karen Guss, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of
Licenses and Inspections. "That equipment measured vibrations in excess of
what the museum thought was the safest level."
PAFA alerted the Historical Commission, which in turn
alerted L&I of the excessive activity. A cease-work order was issued, but
the damage was done al— a crack and several loose tiles have appeared in the
mural.
"It was a big failure on their part," said PAFA
director David Brigham, of the work crew. "The demolition contractor
dropped a very large piece of concrete, which should have been carefully
lowered. Basically, they took the easy way out."
The panels underlying the glass tiles have slipped
slightly out of alignment, causing the crack. A PAFA conservation consultant
will conduct a thorough assessment of the mural structure. Once that is
complete — likely in 10 days — planning will begin on how to better protect the
mural during renovations.
All demolition work at the Curtis Center has stopped
until then, although Brigham said L&I may allow some light construction in
other parts of the building to resume.
"We're disappointed, but trying to move forward in a
productive and collaborative way," said Brigham.
Source: NewsWorks.org
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