Last month, the Mansion was awarded a generous grant of $25,000 from the Davis Family Foundation, completing the financing for the second phase of our major conservation project in the Reception Suite.
The Davis grant, along with support from the Robert Trulaske, Jr. Foundation, the Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust, the Robert & Dorothy Goldberg Foundation, the Felicia Fund, the Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust, the Phineas W. Sprague Memorial Foundation, Valley Charitable Trust, Linda and Diana Bean, Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Johnson, Charles and Marylee Dodge, and Charlotte Brown fulfilled the original matching pledge of $130,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Phase one completed all necessary structural floor work in the Reception Room. Phase two encompassed the painstaking cleaning of all wall and ceiling surfaces, spraying a barrier varnish over the cleaned paint, and completing all inpainting needed around the room, including the application of 23-carat shell gold on the gilded elements.
The next phase of the project will entail the interior and exterior decorative and structural restoration of the room’s badly damaged window bay. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting project as it unfolds. If you’d like to learn more about how you can help support restoration at Victoria Mansion, click here.
