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Saving Grace
Resurrecting American History
Documentary film and discussion with
Alfonso Narvaez, architectural conservator
Michael Raphael, 3D imaging engineer
Mimi Sadler, historical architect
Wednesday, April 26, 2006, 6 – 8 p.m.
500 Fifth St NW, Room Keck 100
Free
This event is held in conjunction with the exhibition Cheryl Goldsleger: utopia
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On Wednesday, April 26, the National Academy of Sciences will feature the DC premier of Saving Grace: Resurrecting American History, a documentary produced by the Historic Richmond Foundation, that details how state-of-the-art imaging and sculpting technologies were employed to replicate the Richmond Theatre Fire Monument at Monumental Church, Richmond, Virginia. Project advisors Alfonso Narvaez, architectural conservator, Michael Raphael, 3D imaging engineer, and Mimi Sadler, historical architect, will lead a discussion after the screening.
The innovative imaging technologies used in this project are at the forefront of conservation and preservation technology. The process combines data acquisition technologies derived from aerospace engineering with established computer-driven milling technologies to accurately reconstruct complex architectural and sculptural details in a timely and cost effective manner.
This documentary details how these technologies were used to replicate the Richmond Theatre Fire Monument at Monumental Church. Designed by notable early American architect Robert Mills, the church and funerary monument commemorate the 72 victims of the Richmond Theatre Fire of 1811. No longer in daily use, the unique octagonal church and associated monument serve as an historic landmark and memorial and are important examples of Greek and Egyptian revival architecture.
In 1999, weakened by decades of pollution and weather damage, the funerary monument’s urn broke off of its base. A team of architectural conservators determined that they should replace the entire monument because corrective action would put the original at risk for additional damage. The team documented the monument with a precise seven axis laser scanner. They used information from their scans and from historic photographs to analyze areas where sculptural details had been lost, and digitally recreated the monument. A highly specialized Irish stone working company used their virtual reconstruction to fabricate the final three-dimensional replica out of marble, employing a combination of computer-based milling software and hand sculpting equipment. The replica was installed in 2005 and the original was dismantled and stored for future conservation and indoor display.
Since the 1980s, outdoor marble sculptures have been eroding at an accelerated pace. Atmospheric pollutants attack the binding elements in the marble, causing it to disaggregate. The innovative technologies used in this project have the potential to improve historic preservation practice in the future, as marble sculpture erosion becomes an even greater problem. This project has already served as a prototype for other endeavors including the replication of the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.
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