Hotel Washington, Washington, DC

The historic Hotel Washington has been a fixture in downtown Washington, DC since its construction in 1917. Designed by the storied firm of Carrère and Hastings, this landmark hotel witnessed a major renovation scheduled to conclude in 2009.

In 2009, Conservation Solutions, Inc. (CSI) was contracted to perform conservation services on a decorative object which had been acquired to adorn the wall behind the reception desk. The piece is a large jeweled ornament, with faceted glass cabochons set into a metal frame, encircled by small glass rosettes. Although new, the ornament had been damaged during transportation to the site, causing nearly half the rosettes to become dislodged. Because the hotel was scheduled to reopen in less than one week, art handlers proceeded to hang the ornament in its final location despite its condition.

Treatment of this ornament highlighted issues related to modern fabrication techniques, materials and intended use. Working under extreme scheduling and site limitations, conservators carefully cleaned the loose glass ornaments and the settings using fine dental tools, scalpels and wire brushes. The elements were wiped cleaned with solvents to eliminate adhesive residue which could interfere with future adhesion. Conservators took the ornament’s high-traffic location into consideration and identified a successful combination of two adhesives that would impart both tenacity and some flexibility to the rosettes, to prevent them being easily dislodged by accidental contact in the future. Minor losses to selected rosettes were rebuilt using an epoxy putty and carefully in-painted.

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