Masonry Magazine June 1992 Page. 12
The Artistry of A Historic Renovation
Family owned restoration company chosen to renovate Providence, Rhode Island's white marble State House. $4-million renovation project was largest in the state's history.
THE WHITE MARBLE State House overlooking the city of Providence, Rhode Island, glistens once more in all of its original majesty, following the Graciano Corporation's renovation of the three story landmark, the largest historic renovation project in the state's history.
Graciano, America's oldest family owned restoration company, was selected because of its expertise in restoring masonry, structural metal, and particularly the artistic detail required for intricate repair and restoration. We have renovated structures with immeasurable historic significance (such as Independence Hall in Philadelphia), so from a restoration standpoint, the Rhode Island State House was a project we understood prior to the start of work.
While knowledge of specific application methods and architectural materials is crucial to the success of any project, mastery of 19th century craftsmanship is necessary to maintain true historic integrity. The enormity of this particular restoration made it unique. The architecture of the Providence State House is similar to the United States Capitol building. Like many government buildings designed and built in the late nineteenth century, the State House is seated on a terraced platform and features columns, tourelles, and a domed rotunda as is typical for Doric style structures.
The State House itself is 333 feet long by 180 feet wide and 235 feet high with over 15-million stone units, masonry units and bricks and over 1,300 tons of iron beams and columns. Leading up to the building, there are thirty-five rows of marble steps, each approximately 120 feet long.
Designed in 1891-92 by the New York firm McKim, Mead & White, the State House was built between 1895 and 1904 as the largest free-standing structure of white Georgia marble- over 327,000 cubic feet. The restoration project itself required a total of
ON THE SOUTH FACE of the Governor's Balcony, over seventy balustrades were crumbling, requiring repair or replacement. One of the most delicate, yet massive repair efforts was the replacement of four intricately hand carved 2,000 pound marble modillions which rest beneath the balcony windows.
AFTER COMPLETING FOUNDATION repairs, Graciano's crews turned to the restoration of the colossal marble steps. Each step was comprised of twenty six-foot marble segments weighing nearly one ton each. All of the marble segments were either reset or replaced with marble from the quarry that originally produced the blocks.