Virtual Lecture: Rescue and Restoration

Join Tim Samuelson, exhibit curator, and Chicago’s Cultural Historian, shares his stories of rescuing these architectural artifacts, restoration efforts, and the individuals he has met along the way. Many of the pieces on display have harrowing stories of on-site rescues, such as when a friend gripped Samuelson’s ankles so he could hang nearly upside-down to rescue a decorative panel four stories above the street. It was all routine in his efforts to save elements documenting the work of Wright and other influential Chicago architects as buildings disappeared due to demolition and fire. We’ll also discuss Samuelson’s process of recovering lost patterns obscured by decay and multiple layers of paint and returning the artifacts to their original colors. In some instances, surviving small shards have been made whole through modern computer and laser technologies.