Restoration of Second Floor Murals at Coit Tower Complete

SAN FRANCISCO, August 25, 2014 – The San Francisco Arts Commission and Recreation & Park Department announce the completion of the restoration of Coit Tower’s seven second floor murals. The second floor restoration work, which was led by Architectural Resources Group (ARG) Conservation Services and Anne Rosenthal Fine Art Conservation, is the final piece in what has been the most extensive restoration effort in the Tower’s 80-year history. Accessible only to guided tour groups due to limited space capacity, the second floor murals include renowned W.P.A artist Lucien Labaudt’s sweeping panorama of Powell Street and the Tower’s only fresco-secco mural by Jane Berlandina, which has been restored for the first time. The professionally run docent tours run every day of the week and provide an accurate historic account of the murals and the artists responsible for the unique pieces of art. To schedule a tour, please visit coittowertours.com.

“Since the reopening in May, Coit Tower has experienced a renaissance,” said Director of Cultural Affairs Tom DeCaigny. “We are excited for the public to experience the second floor murals fully restored, especially Jane Berlandina’s Home Life mural, which is unlike any other at the Tower in terms of style and medium. I want to thank the Recreation & Park Department for being such great partners throughout this project and ARG Conservation Services and Anne Rosenthal and her team for their incredible work.”

“Coit Tower is an international landmark and one of the City’s top destinations with incredible views of the City as well as unique and priceless WPA-era mural,” said Phil Ginsburg, SF Rec and Park General Manager.  “We are proud that in partnership with the SF Arts Commission, we are able to making continuing improvements to the iconic structure.”

During the restoration, the second floor murals were dry-cleaned to remove surface dirt and dust. Areas of gouged plaster and cracks were filled and inpainted, returning the mural surface to near pristine condition. Conservators focused intently on the Jane Berlandina’s Home Life mural which is the most materially sensitive artwork in the building and has never undergone previous conservation.  The historic ceiling of the second floor and the stucco surrounds were treated and restored as well.

The second floor best exemplifies how Coit Tower was never conceived as a space to showcase murals when it was built in 1933. The 27 murals that decorate the interior were added in 1934 by artists who were employed by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), a precursor to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). To access the second floor, visitors must climb a narrow, curved staircase located off the elevator lobby.

According to David Wessel, principal of Architectural Resources Group, “The second floor mural conservation work required accessing tight, confined spaces and temporarily blocking access to some rooms.  Everyone including the new concessionaire, Arts Commission and Rec and Park worked together wonderfully to assure that conservators were able to work with minimal interruptions.  It was truly a seamless collaboration with all groups working together toward the goal of preserving this fragile cultural resource on the second floor of Coit Tower.”

The staircase to the second floor is flanked by one of Coit Tower’s largest and most magnificent murals, a masterpiece by French-born Lucien Labaudt depicting the hustle and bustle of crowds charging up and down 1930s Powell Street. The mural is highly detailed with many recognizable architectural landmarks, some of which still exist, and with the rich textures and patterns of the clothes worn by Labaudt’s figures (he was also a couturier of high fashion at the time). Powell Street also contains a vignette featuring First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt examining a map of the United States emblazoned with PWAP alongside the architects of the groundbreaking program.

At the top of the stairs are three small vestibules featuring a series of murals depicting outdoor recreation by artists Parker Hall, Edward Terada, Ralph Chesse, Edith Hamlin and Ben F. Cunningham. Covering all four walls of the last room on the second floor is Jane Berlandina’s Home Life. The mural deviates from the other Coit Tower murals in that rather than traditional fresco where pigment is applied to wet plaster, it was painted with egg tempera onto a dry surface. Additionally, unlike her fellow muralists, Berlandina was not a disciple of Diego Rivera, which accounts for her distinct style and choice of subject matter. With its limited color palate of brown, red, white and green, Home Life depicts a family surrounded by the trappings of a comfortable bourgeois life. From the grand piano, to the art on the walls, to the finely dressed dancing couples, this family does not seem to be suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. Because it was not included in the last major restoration in 1989-90, this is the first time Home Life has been treated in 80 years.


article and photos sourced from:  http://www.sfartscommission.org/pubartcollection/pubart-press-releases/2014/08/25/restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete

SAN FRANCISCO, August 25, 2014 – The San Francisco Arts Commission and Recreation & Park Department announce the completion of the restoration of Coit Tower’s seven second floor murals. The second floor restoration work, which was led by Architectural Resources Group (ARG) Conservation Services and Anne Rosenthal Fine Art Conservation, is the final piece in what has been the most extensive restoration effort in the Tower’s 80-year history. Accessible only to guided tour groups due to limited space capacity, the second floor murals include renowned W.P.A artist Lucien Labaudt’s sweeping panorama of Powell Street and the Tower’s only fresco-secco mural by Jane Berlandina, which has been restored for the first time. The professionally run docent tours run every day of the week and provide an accurate historic account of the murals and the artists responsible for the unique pieces of art. To schedule a tour, please visit coittowertours.com.
“Since the reopening in May, Coit Tower has experienced a renaissance,” said Director of Cultural Affairs Tom DeCaigny. “We are excited for the public to experience the second floor murals fully restored, especially Jane Berlandina’s Home Life mural, which is unlike any other at the Tower in terms of style and medium. I want to thank the Recreation & Park Department for being such great partners throughout this project and ARG Conservation Services and Anne Rosenthal and her team for their incredible work.”
“Coit Tower is an international landmark and one of the City’s top destinations with incredible views of the City as well as unique and priceless WPA-era mural,” said Phil Ginsburg, SF Rec and Park General Manager.  “We are proud that in partnership with the SF Arts Commission, we are able to making continuing improvements to the iconic structure.”
During the restoration, the second floor murals were dry-cleaned to remove surface dirt and dust. Areas of gouged plaster and cracks were filled and inpainted, returning the mural surface to near pristine condition. Conservators focused intently on the Jane Berlandina’s Home Life mural which is the most materially sensitive artwork in the building and has never undergone previous conservation.  The historic ceiling of the second floor and the stucco surrounds were treated and restored as well.
The second floor best exemplifies how Coit Tower was never conceived as a space to showcase murals when it was built in 1933. The 27 murals that decorate the interior were added in 1934 by artists who were employed by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), a precursor to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). To access the second floor, visitors must climb a narrow, curved staircase located off the elevator lobby.
According to David Wessel, principal of Architectural Resources Group, “The second floor mural conservation work required accessing tight, confined spaces and temporarily blocking access to some rooms.  Everyone including the new concessionaire, Arts Commission and Rec and Park worked together wonderfully to assure that conservators were able to work with minimal interruptions.  It was truly a seamless collaboration with all groups working together toward the goal of preserving this fragile cultural resource on the second floor of Coit Tower.”
The staircase to the second floor is flanked by one of Coit Tower’s largest and most magnificent murals, a masterpiece by French-born Lucien Labaudt depicting the hustle and bustle of crowds charging up and down 1930s Powell Street. The mural is highly detailed with many recognizable architectural landmarks, some of which still exist, and with the rich textures and patterns of the clothes worn by Labaudt’s figures (he was also a couturier of high fashion at the time). Powell Street also contains a vignette featuring First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt examining a map of the United States emblazoned with PWAP alongside the architects of the groundbreaking program.
At the top of the stairs are three small vestibules featuring a series of murals depicting outdoor recreation by artists Parker Hall, Edward Terada, Ralph Chesse, Edith Hamlin and Ben F. Cunningham. Covering all four walls of the last room on the second floor is Jane Berlandina’s Home Life. The mural deviates from the other Coit Tower murals in that rather than traditional fresco where pigment is applied to wet plaster, it was painted with egg tempera onto a dry surface. Additionally, unlike her fellow muralists, Berlandina was not a disciple of Diego Rivera, which accounts for her distinct style and choice of subject matter. With its limited color palate of brown, red, white and green, Home Life depicts a family surrounded by the trappings of a comfortable bourgeois life. From the grand piano, to the art on the walls, to the finely dressed dancing couples, this family does not seem to be suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. Because it was not included in the last major restoration in 1989-90, this is the first time Home Life has been treated in 80 years.
- See more at: http://www.sfartscommission.org/pubartcollection/pubart-press-releases/2014/08/25/restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete#sthash.qtNkE2nV.dpuf

SAN FRANCISCO, August 25, 2014 – The San Francisco Arts Commission and Recreation & Park Department announce the completion of the restoration of Coit Tower’s seven second floor murals. The second floor restoration work, which was led by Architectural Resources Group (ARG) Conservation Services and Anne Rosenthal Fine Art Conservation, is the final piece in what has been the most extensive restoration effort in the Tower’s 80-year history. Accessible only to guided tour groups due to limited space capacity, the second floor murals include renowned W.P.A artist Lucien Labaudt’s sweeping panorama of Powell Street and the Tower’s only fresco-secco mural by Jane Berlandina, which has been restored for the first time. The professionally run docent tours run every day of the week and provide an accurate historic account of the murals and the artists responsible for the unique pieces of art. To schedule a tour, please visit coittowertours.com.
“Since the reopening in May, Coit Tower has experienced a renaissance,” said Director of Cultural Affairs Tom DeCaigny. “We are excited for the public to experience the second floor murals fully restored, especially Jane Berlandina’s Home Life mural, which is unlike any other at the Tower in terms of style and medium. I want to thank the Recreation & Park Department for being such great partners throughout this project and ARG Conservation Services and Anne Rosenthal and her team for their incredible work.”
“Coit Tower is an international landmark and one of the City’s top destinations with incredible views of the City as well as unique and priceless WPA-era mural,” said Phil Ginsburg, SF Rec and Park General Manager.  “We are proud that in partnership with the SF Arts Commission, we are able to making continuing improvements to the iconic structure.”
During the restoration, the second floor murals were dry-cleaned to remove surface dirt and dust. Areas of gouged plaster and cracks were filled and inpainted, returning the mural surface to near pristine condition. Conservators focused intently on the Jane Berlandina’s Home Life mural which is the most materially sensitive artwork in the building and has never undergone previous conservation.  The historic ceiling of the second floor and the stucco surrounds were treated and restored as well.
The second floor best exemplifies how Coit Tower was never conceived as a space to showcase murals when it was built in 1933. The 27 murals that decorate the interior were added in 1934 by artists who were employed by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), a precursor to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). To access the second floor, visitors must climb a narrow, curved staircase located off the elevator lobby.
According to David Wessel, principal of Architectural Resources Group, “The second floor mural conservation work required accessing tight, confined spaces and temporarily blocking access to some rooms.  Everyone including the new concessionaire, Arts Commission and Rec and Park worked together wonderfully to assure that conservators were able to work with minimal interruptions.  It was truly a seamless collaboration with all groups working together toward the goal of preserving this fragile cultural resource on the second floor of Coit Tower.”
The staircase to the second floor is flanked by one of Coit Tower’s largest and most magnificent murals, a masterpiece by French-born Lucien Labaudt depicting the hustle and bustle of crowds charging up and down 1930s Powell Street. The mural is highly detailed with many recognizable architectural landmarks, some of which still exist, and with the rich textures and patterns of the clothes worn by Labaudt’s figures (he was also a couturier of high fashion at the time). Powell Street also contains a vignette featuring First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt examining a map of the United States emblazoned with PWAP alongside the architects of the groundbreaking program.
At the top of the stairs are three small vestibules featuring a series of murals depicting outdoor recreation by artists Parker Hall, Edward Terada, Ralph Chesse, Edith Hamlin and Ben F. Cunningham. Covering all four walls of the last room on the second floor is Jane Berlandina’s Home Life. The mural deviates from the other Coit Tower murals in that rather than traditional fresco where pigment is applied to wet plaster, it was painted with egg tempera onto a dry surface. Additionally, unlike her fellow muralists, Berlandina was not a disciple of Diego Rivera, which accounts for her distinct style and choice of subject matter. With its limited color palate of brown, red, white and green, Home Life depicts a family surrounded by the trappings of a comfortable bourgeois life. From the grand piano, to the art on the walls, to the finely dressed dancing couples, this family does not seem to be suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. Because it was not included in the last major restoration in 1989-90, this is the first time Home Life has been treated in 80 years.
- See more at: http://www.sfartscommission.org/pubartcollection/pubart-press-releases/2014/08/25/restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete#sthash.qtNkE2nV.dpuf

Docent tour presents second floor murals for public view - See more at: http://www.sfartscommission.org/pubartcollection/pubart-press-releases/2014/08/25/restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete#sthash.qtNkE2nV.dpuf