Lowville, New York

The Lowville Soldier’s Monument was manufactured by the Monumental Bronze Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut and was dedicated on July 4, 1883. The monument, made of slurry-cast zinc, consists of a life-size Union soldier atop a pedestal base, a type identical to other catalog Civil War memorial figures. Similar monuments by the same manufacturer include the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Stratford, CT, and the Fourth Ohio Infantry Monument in Gettysburg, PA.

 Work was carried out on the monument in 1988, at which time it was filled with concrete. This led to negative interactions between the zinc and concrete, expansion by entrapped water during freeze/thaw cycles, and leaching of un-reacted lime, forming calcite on the surfaces of the zinc. Cracks, losses in material, sagging and deformed metal, open joints, and calcite deposits were the result, risking the entire structural stability and visitor safety.

 Conservation Solutions, Inc. (CSI) was contracted to perform an on-site assessment highlighting the changes from a previous examination and the current condition of the materials. Observations were made from the ground and a bucket lift. From these, CSI made treatment recommendations, with the goal of determining the most effective means of conserving the sculpture using the lowest level of intervention. The report addressed the inappropriate past treatments, performing repairs to zinc fabric, and stabilizing the monument.

Click here to download a printable PDF version of this page.