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The restoration work is complete and the plaza is to reopen soon
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The city began a major infrastructure renewal project on Liberty Street in 2008, and soon after turned its attention to the extensive reconstruction of Louise Nevelson Plaza. The triangular plaza is located at the crossroads of William Street, Maiden Lane, and Liberty Street, and serves as a welcome respite in the heart of the bustling Financial District.
Named for 20th-century sculptor Louise Nevelson, it was the first plaza in New York City to be named for an artist when it opened in 1977. Nevelson supplied seven large steel and aluminum sculptures for the site, which operate as a single, site-specific installation entitled “Shadows and Flags.”
For the plaza’s reconstruction, experts from Wilson Conservation were hired to oversee the sculptures’ restoration. Founded by Jackie and Cameron Wilson, the company specializes in museum and conservation services for sculpture and historic monuments made of virtually any material.
We asked specialist Jackie Wilson three questions about the renovation of Nevelson’s “Shadows and Flags.”
How did Wilson Conversation go about restoring the seven giant
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The statues surface has an anticipated 15-20 year lifespan
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Nevelson sculptures?
Ms. Wilson: There are six 25-foot-tall (roughly) painted-aluminum sculptures and one 40-foot-tall painted-steel sculpture. On projects that require fine-art finishes on outdoor sculpture we typically hire paint contractors who demonstrate an expertise in sprayed finishes. Initially we contracted Remco to do all seven sculptures, but time constraints forced us to split the contract and give the task of painting the sixth sculpture to a company in Virginia called ASCO, and have Remco, based in New York, focus on the large sculpture on the plaza.
The contract required that all six smaller sculptures be removed from the plaza so infrastructure work could take place. The sculptures were deinstalled by Dun-Rite Specialized Carriers, a fine-arts rigging firm based in New York City. They were transported on flatbed trucks to Dun-Rite's secured art warehouse in the Bronx where painting took place. It should be noted that only five were deinstalled, because the sixth sculpture was already at Dun-Rite’s warehouse -- it was deinstalled in 2003 after it was hit by a truck.
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| Utility infrastructure work was necessary beneath the plaza, July 2009 |
Once the new pavers were set around the large sculpture, work commenced on the plaza. Well before treatment began on the sculptures a treatment proposal was submitted to the NYC Design Commission and Louise Nevelson’s dealer, Pace, for approval. Our studio was responsible for project management, paint specifications, assembling the team of subcontractors to do the work, and quality control.
What were the most challenging elements of the restorations?
There were numerous challenges. The size and fragility of the six smaller pieces were a concern. Rigging was difficult and required a lot of care because the sculptures were top-heavy when hoisted, and difficult to strap because of the intricacies of the composition and fragility of the elements. Painting of the intricate forms on the smaller pieces were very challenging and having to do it outdoors in an uncontrolled environment posed many difficulties. Fortunately we had a very dry summer. The sheer size of the 40-foot-tall sculpture and the complexity of the composition was difficult. Overspray from paint and dirt and dust was a constant concern.
How will the long-term lifespan of the sculptures be affected by the restoration?
The original paint system was in good condition when we undertook the restoration. Although it had oxidized over time and became more gray than black, the paint was tightly bound to the metal so very little paint failure and corrosion had developed on the surface. Working with a tightly bound system was a great advantage to the project, because it meant that we did not have to remove the original paint but were able encapsulate it in a new, compatible paint system.
Because the surface is well-protected we anticipate a long service life of 15 to 20 years if no serious vandalism occurs. Often it is longer, but manufacturers are conservative about making these declarations. Vandalism will always compromise a paint system so it is our greatest hope that it does not occur.
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