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all it a match made in heaven.When leaders of St. JamesCatholic Church set out to givetheir deteriorating building a cen-tennial facelift, they ended upwith far more than a contractor.Themission led, completely by

chance, to the heart of the church’s artistic past and thedoorstep of its creator.

Attic treasuresIt was the year 2000when the Rev. Donald Goetz and his

building committeemade a call to Conrad Schmitt Studios,inquiring about the possibility of a restoration project at thechurch, in Louisville, Ky. The studio, then in its 111th year,was famous for its historic restorations, including work onmany churches.As is routine, a studio worker headed for the attic,

searching thousands of old project files for any informa-tion about St. James.Surprisingly, therewas an entire file, plucked easily from

alphabetical order. And the contents were astonishing.Not only had the studio worked with St. James, but

By Krista BuszkiewiczCHHeeaavveennllyy

founder Conrad Schmitt himself had designed the church’soriginal decorative scheme.There were more surprises: the original contract (for

$8,000); Schmitt’s project notes; and, best of all, black-and-white photos that faintly showed the church’s brilliantly col-ored original decorative scheme, forgotten and buried underdecades of beige and yellow paint.With their glimpse of the past, the photos pointed the way

to St. James’ future.

The toll of neglectIn 2006, Conrad Schmitt Studios was commissioned to re-

store the decorative vision of its founder at St. James Church.The task would not be easy. The church had been re-

painted several times without any documentation. Decadesof moisture had damaged the beautiful plaster walls. Paintwas peeling, and the walls and massive dome had a dull,yellow cast. This once-glorious interior lay dormant in theshadows of neglect.The old photos provided some clues, but artists could

make out only a few techniques. For example, they sawsome sort of tile work on the ceiling. They also concludedthat large letters bordering the dome must be gold becausethe photo showed a reflection.When the studio team arrived on site, they used the pic-

Conrad Schmitt Studios

tures to determine what areas of the church to study andwhat might be hiding under the old paint.The contract and notes offered more pieces to the puzzle

of techniques and materials (“main dome to be as per de-sign submitted, using aluminum leaf treatment for orna-mental rays with gold lacquer finish”), but these were notcomprehensive.Uncovering the full decorative details of the church—

148 feet wide and 90 feet from the door to the altar—wouldrequire extensive investigation and testing.

Historical investigationThe first step in any project (with or without such a nice

head start) is to examine the design as related to the timeperiod; conduct a paint investigation, if paint has been lay-ered without documentation; and examine the walls, floor-ing and window frames to determine how much of theoriginal material can be re-used or replicated.A studio Master Craftsman and Conservator conducted

this two-week effort, with the help of the Project Manager,Art Director and Vice President.

WWW.PAINTSTORE.COM PWC 2524 PWC JULY/AUGUST 2009

How a Catholic Church met its maker and found a new life.

Heavenly

The artists determined that the fading pattern they haddetected in the historic photos of the dome was a bluestenciled faux mosaic tile with a series of stars. Theywere pleasantly surprised to find a substantial amountof plaster work inside the church. Angels, biblicalverses, capitals (architectural columns) and garlandswere all constructed of plaster. Finally, in the center ofthe dome was an unusual focal point: a large human eye,with colored glass eyeball (probably the inspiration ofthe architect, James J. Gaffney). The artists noticed some imperfections in the plaster

work, such as an off-center angel on a wall. Although therestoration was likely to highlight those flaws, the artistskept them, honoring the remarkable plaster work and orig-inal character of the church.

homecoming

Studio archives revealed photos of the original 1927 decorative scheme(above left) and original studio contract (right). The historical photos pointedthe way to the church’s restoration (above).

See RESTORATION on next page

Conrad Schmitt Studios

Moberly Photography Inc.

26 PWC JULY/AUGUST 2009

Revealing the pastDeeper study began: a comprehensive, scientific analysis

to determine the original decorative elements and colors.Scaffolding was erected in one area of the church to gainaccess to architectural elements from the column base tothe dome 80 feet above. To uncover the original designs,colors and finishes, the artists used three techniques: ex-posure windows, tape tests and microscopic investigation.Exposure widows, the most popular investigative

method, were created to carefully remove each paint layerand uncover the original patterns, colors, surface appear-ance and conditions.A variety of proprietary chemical and physical means

were used to remove these layers one by one. The mildestsolvent that was effective was employed, along with vari-ous chemical and mechanical techniques, to achieve aclear reading of each design.The removal process depended upon many factors, in-

cluding the numbers of paint layers. For each area of thechurch, artists experimented with removal techniquesusing a variety of scrapers, palette knives, strippers and sol-vents.Exposure windows were created in sections large enough

to determine design repetition and spacing, as well as themanner of design in corners, centers and other specialareas. Gradually, the church’s original paint, patterns andtechniques emerged.

Deeper analysisFor additional study, the artists turned to ASTM’s “sim-

ple tape test,” usually used to assess paint adhesion. Inabout a dozen areas, they applied masking tape to the sur-face, tapped it with a ball pin hammer, then peeled it off, re-moving each layer of paint to expose the original color.Two core samples of representative paint layers were

then taken to the Conrad Schmitt Studios laboratory.There, conservators sliced the samples on a bias and ex-amined them under a stereo microscope to determine theirchromochronology, documenting each paint stratum andcoating in the order of application.The dirt layers between the paint strata helped identify

which layers belonged to which decorative scheme andtold about how long a scheme lasted before repainting.Four layers were found in all.

Color studyThe microscopic examination served another purpose: It

revealed truer paint color, beneath the surface discol-orations. This type of investigation is strongly recom-mended by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.Colors from the exposure windows, tape tests and core

samples were then matched to the Munsell System of Uni-versal Color Standards. The Munsell code numerically de-scribes 300 colors, using the three dimensions of color: hue(color), value (brightness) and chroma (dullness or purity).Other analytic systems were used to provide spectral datafor colors.In the end, the decorative scheme for St. James Catholic

Church was found to include 26 paint colors, seven glazecolors, three types of metal leaf, a faux mosaic dome ceil-ing, and extensive trompe-l’oeil stencils. The comprehen-sive results were documented in an 11-page report that wasreviewed by the design team and church committee, thenarchived.

See RESTORATION on page 28

A close-up of a capital shows the intricacy of the gilding that shines through-out the Baroque-Byzantine style church.

In-depth analysis of the church’s decorative history included the use of expo-sure windows to uncover and document the original paint scheme.

RESTORATION from last page

Moberly Photography Inc.

Conrad Schmitt Studios Conrad Schmitt Studios

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Sample workThe next step: a bold, floor-to-dome, 18-foot-wide re-cre-

ation of the original design. The work began with dry clean-ing and wet washing of all surfaces; repairing flat anddecorative plaster; patching cracks; applying fiberglass toall flat plaster and ceiling surfaces; and priming.Guided by the findings of the historical analysis, two

artists then spent three feverish weeks restoring that sec-tion of the church to its early 20th-century glory.

They replicated stencils, using a four-color palette, andsponge-painted on walls using natural sea sponges. Stencilswere cut from oiled stencil paper after transferring the de-signs using carbon paper. The stencils were created at thestudio, then taken to the church for installation. Colorswere applied with half-inch nap rollers; hand-brushedhighlights were then added.Faux brick with texture, grout lines, three-dimensional

elements and mortar lines were painted on the walls. Highabove, niches that held statues were painted a dark blue,popping their neutral occupants to new attention.Recreating the faux tile on the dome’s rough, concave

surface was not easy. Once a scaffold deck was built to giveartists full access, they realized they could not use straightsticks to create even vertical lines. The solution: a JohnsonAccuLine Pro Rotary Laser mounted at the top of the dome.This illuminated the ceiling in faultless vertical lines thatguided the faux painting.

Green light and rebirthThe sample not only won the building committee’s ap-

proval and the congregation’s awe; it fueled the churchfund-raising campaign that would make the rest of the proj-ect possible. The interior work was part of a $1.3 millionrestoration that also included repairs to the church organand roof.It would take crews of four to eight craftsmen seven solid

months, until July 2007, to complete the interior work, butit was finished in time for the church’s centennial celebra-tion.Throughout its history, Conrad Schmitt Studios has won

numerous awards for its church and historic restorations.The honors have included several Picture It Painted Pro-fessionally (PIPP) Awards, from the Painting and Decorat-ing Contractors of America. In 2008, the St. James projectcaptured a PIPP as well.Still, it was another honor that singled out this project as

unique.During the project’s final walk-through, Father Goetz told

Project Director Rick Statz that the building committee feltStatz had led them through the church’s resurrection.As a sign of the committee’s appreciation, the pastor

asked if Statz would carry the cross leading the processioninto the church for the rededication Mass.Statz did, opening a new era on a century-old artistic vi-

sion.“I am a fortunate man,” Statz says, “to have been able to

accept such an honor for doing something I truly love.”Krista Buszkiewicz is the Public Relations Writer for Con-

rad Schmitt Studios.

28 PWC JULY/AUGUST 2009

Restoration by the NumbersThe St. James Catholic Church renovation required:

23k Gold Leaf (private stock): More than 850 square feet

Scaffolding (Prime Scaffold): 450 frames, 800 wood planks,80 put logs, 750 tube and clamp

Fiberglass (Hallman Lindsay Polymer Wall Restorationsystem): More than 36,000 square feet

Paint (Sherwin-Williams Preprite Classic Primer, ProMar200 and Illusions Oil Faux): 1,000-plus gallons

Brushes: Purdy

Cleaner: Dirtex

Other: Johnson Acculine Pro Rotary laser

A floor-to-dome decorative sample showed the client the road ahead. Photosof the sample were also used to raise funds for the project.

Conrad Schmitt Studios

RESTORATION from page 26

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