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RESTORATION
STORIES
Pictured: The Ell Restoration, 1965
Our Latest Restoration
THE YELLOW CHAMBER This year, we will complete the long awaited restoration of our beautiful Yellow Chamber and will announce its completion and launch soon. Even before the restoration, this room was a visitor favorite! Through the Great Hall and up at the top of the wide stairway is he room we know as the Yellow Chamber. It has been described as the “best-documented bedroom in New England” due to surviving fragments of the original yellow silk and wool damask fabric, original paint, as well as good-sized remnants of the original block-printed and stenciled wallpaper. Two 18th century inventories add the details of how the room was furnished and provide a glimpse of how this room was used, not only as a bedroom for the newly married Samuel and Sarah Catherine Moffat but also as a space to enjoy entertaining close friends. Thanks to emerging technologies, this room has undergone a restoration which has allowed us to more accurately identify the authentic paint color and to have it mixed and applied as it was originally done. The original floorboards have been returned to their true unpainted state. Over the next several months we will introduce the other elements such as the fabric, wallpaper, and the acquisition of proper furnishings to recreate this room’s appearance back to the time before the Revolution.
THE PARLOR Watch for our Parlor book coming out this spring! The parlor was restored to its 18th century appearance in 2022. Its beautiful 18th century flocked wallpaper was reproduced by Adelphi Paperhangings of Sharon Springs, NY, in partnership with the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion. This pattern appears in the billiards room of the mansion and while it’s not what the Moffatts had originally, it closely matches the pattern and colors of the fragment we found in the parlor closet, which is what we believe Samuel and Sarah Catherine chose for this room in the 1760s. Kate Shattuck of Kate Shattuck Wallcoverings & Fine Painting did the restoration of the woodwork and the installation of the wallpaper. She also restored the floor back to its original finish–bare wood. Richard and Jane Nylander provided the guidance and knowledge for the wallpaper and textiles, and our former director/curator Barbara Ward and her husband, Gerald Ward, formerly of the MFA Boston provided the expertise of decorative arts. Our committee members have painstakingly researched what should be in this room, comparing our four 18th century inventories from the Moffatts and Whipples with what is known to be historically accurate. The fabric for the cushions on our Chinese Chippendale suite of furniture was woven by Kate Smith of Eaton Hill Textiles and constructed and installed by Natalie Larson of Historic Textiles.
During our guided tours, you will hear about other restorations through the years including the kitchen, dining room, and the Ell.
THE 18TH CENTURY WAREHOUSE A huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the Warehouse Roof Project! The roof is expected to be replaced this spring.