Gage House Front Hall (Hamilton, ON)
Awarded to:
Sahra Campbell (Campbell Conservation)
Ashleigh Bell (City of Hamilton)
Carolyn Samko (City of Hamilton)
The front hall of Gage House is a notable example of stencilled decoration on historic plaster in Ontario, and is the focus of the conservation work presented. The project scope was to establish a treatment for stabilizing and refreshing the walls without obscuring the original painted surface. The conservation program was primarily a preservation approach, with restoration as secondary treatment, and was guided by the Guidelines for Buildings: Interior Features (4.3.7) and Guidelines for Materials (4.5). The Guidelines for Plaster and Stucco (4.5.7) provided specifics for the care of the plaster substrate and the Additional Guidelines for Restoration for Interior Features informed the approach to the painted surface. The project was completed in three phases. Documentation was undertaken in July of 2017 and consolidation of historic plaster and paint in September of 2017. Restoration of the c.1835 stencilling was completed in July and August of 2018.