EverGreene Architectural Arts

EverGreene Architectural Arts
Name	EverGreene Architectural Arts
Type	Private
Founded	1978
Founder	Alan and Roberta J. Leavitt
Headquarters	New York City, New York, United States
Key people	Jeff Gray, Alyson Stoner, William Suhr (historic conservator legacy)
Industry	Historic preservation, architectural conservation, decorative arts
Services	Mural conservation, plaster restoration, gilding, conservation planning
Employees	~200 (varies)

EverGreene Architectural Arts is a U.S.-based conservation and restoration firm specializing in historic interiors, murals, plasterwork, and decorative finishes. The company has participated in projects for landmark sites, museums, theaters, and civic buildings across the United States and internationally, collaborating with preservation bodies and cultural institutions.

History

Founded in 1978 during a period of revitalization for historic preservation movements led by entities such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the firm emerged amid restoration efforts like those at Grand Central Terminal, Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963), and urban renewal projects in New York City. Early projects intersected with programs from the National Park Service and municipal agencies of Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the firm worked on commissions associated with institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Library of Congress, reflecting parallels with conservation campaigns at Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty National Monument. During the 2000s the company expanded amid post-9/11 restoration initiatives alongside projects in cultural districts such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Its growth coincided with international conservation dialogues hosted by organizations like the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Monuments Fund.

Services and Specializations

The firm provides a range of conservation and restoration services tailored to commissions from clients like State Historic Preservation Offices, municipal arts commissions, and museum directors from institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and the J. Paul Getty Trust. Core offerings include mural and easel-painting conservation comparable to treatments undertaken at sites associated with Thomas Hart Benton and Diego Rivera, ornamental plaster and stucco restoration akin to work seen in Palacio de Bellas Artes, gilding and metal leaf akin to projects at the Palace of Versailles (historical) replica interiors, and decorative painting conservation reflecting practices used at locations like the Boston Public Library and the New York Public Library. The firm also prepares conservation management plans used by entities similar to the National Gallery of Art, historic interiors surveys utilized by Historic New England, and maintenance training implemented for caretakers of properties like Monticello.

Notable Projects

Projects span theaters, civic halls, religious sites, and museums. Examples include restoration work comparable in scope to projects at Radio City Music Hall, the Apollo Theater, and the Warner Theatre (Washington, D.C.); conservation of murals and decorative schemes in buildings paralleling commissions at Union Station (Washington, D.C.), Grand Central Terminal, and Union Station (Los Angeles); and interior restorations reflecting interventions at the New Amsterdam Theatre, Fox Theatre (Atlanta), and Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles). The firm has engaged with religious landmarks in the vein of projects at St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan), secular civic sites similar to City Hall (Los Angeles), and museum galleries comparable to work at the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Collaborations with institutions mirror partnerships seen between contractors and organizations like National Trust for Canada and Historic Scotland for transatlantic conservation exchanges.

Techniques and Materials

Conservation approaches draw on methodologies promoted by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Techniques include in situ consolidation, grouting and lath replacement for plaster akin to interventions at Castel del Monte-style masonry, reverse-drilling and pinning for murals similar to methods used at Pompeii excavations, solvent and micro-emulsion cleaning protocols used at Louvre-adjacent conservation labs, and traditional gilding using gold leaf following practices documented at Versailles and in Byzantine conservation at Hagia Sophia. Materials employed range from lime-based mortars and traditional gesso to synthetic consolidants evaluated in studies by the Getty Conservation Institute and materials testing laboratories affiliated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The organization combines conservators, artisans, architects, and project managers structured to serve large-scale restorations for clients such as municipal arts commissions, cathedral chapters, and university facilities departments at institutions like Columbia University, Yale University, and Harvard University. Leadership includes senior conservators and a board paralleling governance models used by nonprofit preservation organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Project teams routinely coordinate with consulting firms and architectural practices such as those affiliated with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Architectural Resources Group, and specialists who have worked on projects for entities like Peabody Essex Museum.

Awards and Recognition

The firm's work has been recognized in contexts similar to awards granted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, and state-level historic preservation awards administered by offices like the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Projects have received praise in professional forums such as conferences of the Association for Preservation Technology International and publications connected to the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation.

Conservation Philosophy and Education

The company follows conservation philosophies aligned with charters like the Venice Charter and principles advocated by the Burra Charter, emphasizing minimal intervention and reversibility in treatments administered to artifacts comparable to those conserved under standards from the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property and the Getty Conservation Institute. Educational initiatives have included workshops and training for conservators and craftsmen similar to professional development programs sponsored by the American Institute for Conservation and university conservation programs at institutions such as the Winterthur Program in Conservation and the Conservation Center at NYU Institute of Fine Arts.

Category:Historic preservation companies