As June winds down, the official start to summer kicked off last week with the Summer solstice. The solstice marks the longest day of the equator and the shortest day in the south. The solstices term comes from the Latin words sol and sistere, meaning “Sun” and “to stand still”. When thinking of the sun standing still, Radio City Music Hall comes to mind. Designed to resemble a setting sun, the Radio City Music Hall’s stage is elegantly framed in bright tones and vibrantly colored stage curtains. The battle between form and function has no greater resolution than in the coral staircase. Running along the perimeter of the concert hall, it is covered entirely in Dutch metal and serves, in part, to further the sun burst effect Donald Deskey was trying to achieve in the space when he designed it. The theme of gold and white is further displayed in the theater itself. The coral staircase, however, is just as much an artistic expression as it is an architectural feature, essential to the productions that take place. Completely enveloping the audience, the coral staircase is often where the show begins.
Every aspect of Radio City Music Hall was done on a scale so enormous, no other project could possibly eclipse it. In no place is this better illustrated than the grand lobby. Patrons are instantly struck by the curved staircase, which wraps though the lobby without any visible supports. Both the sides and underside of the staircase are gilt in Dutch metal, simulating gold leaf, but there is a specific grid pattern to it. The effect of the glittering grand staircase that extends the golden sun color with the gilding throughout is further punctuated with a dramatic, highly stylized landscape scene. Further framing the space are curtains that run from floor to ceiling and mirrors with a gold wash. To restore the National Landmark Radio City Music Hall's historic 1932 interior, Canning applied 90,000 square feet of both gilding and transparent glazes to surfaces to further create the warming gold effect throughout the building back in 1999.
No two gilding projects are exactly alike; the precise steps involved will vary from project to project. You can learn more about gilding and the Radio City Music Hall projects in the below links. |
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Latest Articles & Announcements |
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| How to Determine the Type of Paint Used in a Historic Building |
When performing a conservation or restoration project, it is essential to determine the original type of paint. Knowing the basic history of each kind of paint, including its intended purpose and how it behaves, is imperative to achieving the most historically accurate results. This blog takes a look at how to determine the type of paint used in a historic building. |
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| Top 3 Historic University Chapels |
Since their creation, University chapels have played important roles on college campuses and in their surrounding communities. These buildings served as places of worship and gathering for the students and community, and provide a unique lens into the culture and practices of the past. In this blog, we look into three major historic university chapels that are still in use today. |
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We mentioned back in March this article From Modest Materials, A Grand Effects in the Connecticut Explored Spring 2022 Preserving Craftsmanship issue. This article is a photo essay on the work of John Canning & Co. that includes five of the company’s interior design restoration commissions including the Connecticut State Capitol and others. Craftsman techniques including stenciling, gilding and plaster restoration are highlighted. If you didn’t get a chance to check out the magazine, the online version is now available and you can view it here.
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This month we celebrate the birthday of architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright. The National Landmark Henry Ford Fair Lane Estate had several original architects including Frank Lloyd Wright along with architects Joseph N. French, William Van Tine, Marion Mahony Griffin, and, Jens Jensen before the final stages of the residence was completed in 1915.
Canning has worked on many spaces within the Henry Ford Estate including a large amount of wood cleaning and conservation and continues to do additional work there as well. We are proud to add the Fair Lane Estate project to our portfolio of museum work. |
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The League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT) is a non-profit organization with the main purpose of sustaining historic theatres across North America for the benefit of their communities and future generations. LHAT is a great organization offering programs and services designed specifically for historic theatres. Theatre operators from across the country use this as a go-to resource using the links that LHAT provides to other organizations, preservation agencies, insurance programs and more to help guide them and answer questions they may have. The LHAT National Conference is being held in person July 10-13th in Cleveland, Ohio. It's a great event offering professional development sessions, theatre tours, networking opportunities and a Service Providers Expo. As a proud member of LHAT, we are once again a sponsor for the conference and as well as exhibiting in the Expo again. If you are going, make sure you stop by to see us at the Expo.
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APT is another great organization that we are a proud member of. The APT Detroit 2022 Conference registration is now open. This year the Conference will be held from November 7-12th in Detroit. Make your plans now to attend and stop by and say hi while you are there since we will be exhibiting again as well a conference sponsor.
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Check out the Canning 45th Anniversary Retrospective...
All last year we continued to share and expand this page to celebrate our 45th Anniversary, with project highlights, fun facts, stories, photos and more. If you haven't had a chance yet, check it out! |
We understand the importance in sharing our expertise and knowledge in our field. Besides the monthly newsletter and blogs we post, we also develop and share downloadable resources to help guide you in your conservation, preservation and restoration projects. Check out the Resources page and see if any of the resources can help answer some of your questions and provide a better understanding of some of the intricacies in the preservation field.
Check out our Featured Downloadable Resource below. |
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Since we gearing up for LHAT and the newsletter discussion included Radio City Music Hall, the highlight resource for this month is our Theatre Guide. This Theatre Guide provides some examples of our restoration and conservation work in Theatre & Entertainment Spaces.
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The Association for Preservation Technology (APT) is the premier cross-disciplinary organization dedicated to promoting the best technology for conserving historic structure and their settings.
APT 2022 Conference November 7–12th Detroit, MI |
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As a national nonprofit preservation organization, the National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America's historic places and is a great resource for anyone looking to learn more or get involved. |
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The League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT) is a non-profit organization with the main purpose of sustaining historic theatres across North America for the benefit of their communities and future generations.
LHAT National Conference July 10-13th Cleveland, OH |
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JOIN THE CONVERSATION #PerfectingPreservation #jcanningcrew |
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