Study Reveals Severe Damage to Facade Mosaics

In the spring of 2009, the Campaign for the Ayer Mansion, Inc. (CAM) received some disheartening news.  An in-depth study of the Mansion’s facade, conducted over 5 months by Lisa Howe, Preservation Director at Goody Clancy and Ivan Myjer, president of Building and Monument Conservation, Inc. revealed that the magnificent stone mosaics are rapidly deteriorating.

The mosaics, which are made up of hundreds of thousands of dime-sized pieces of limestone in five different colors, and formed into more than 30 different patterns across the entire facade, are failing rapidly in a number of respects. 

First, the individual stones themselves are deteriorating.  For an unknown reason, the red and yellow stones in particular are “spawling”, flaking off in layers, at a faster rate than the other stones. As a new layer is exposed to the weather, that too becomes susceptible to deterioration, with the ultimate result that the stone washes away altogether, leaving gaps in the patterns.  The gaps allows water to penetrates the substrate behind the other pieces, loosening them as well. 

In other areas, entire mosaic panels are pulling away from the building's facade.  More than 104 years of weather, pollution, and structural stress have allowed water to infiltrate behind the panels, causing them to loosen. 

This damage is most evident on the Ayer Mansion’s balcony, where four panels have already been lost to water infiltration.  Only three original panels remain intact, and they are badly damaged and will likely completely deteriorate in the next ten years if left untreated.

To begin to address the problem, CAM applied to the Save America’s Treasures federal grant program in early 2009.  In December, 2009, the National Park Service awarded CAM a $400,000 matching grant to begin work on the restoration of the Ayer Mansion balcony.  To claim these funds, CAM needs to raise $450,000.  To date, CAM has garnered $350,000 in matching funds.  To donate, or find out how you can help, click here.

2011-2012 Jonathan L. Fairbanks Lecture Series

Behind Closed Doors: 

Learning from Historic Interiors

Our last lecture in the 2011-2012 Lecture Series will be on Tuesday, March 13, 2012, when urban designer and preservationist Ronald Lee Fleming, FAICP, will talk about preserving his Newport, RI, home, in “Bellevue House:  Reimagined and Its Gardens Reinvented.”  Be sure to join us for this inspiring look at a masterful renovation of one of Ogden Codman Jr.’s grandest residential commissions.  To read more about the project as covered by The New York Times, click here.

Wine and cheese will be served at 6:30. Lectures begin at 7 PM. Ticket prices are $25 per lecture per person ($5 for students). Tickets may be purchased on-line by clicking here, through the mail, or in person the night of the lecture. Members of NABB and the Gibson House Museum enjoy a special discounted price of $15 when purchasing tickets at the door.