News Release Archive

TRANSPORTATION/PUBLIC WORKS--Red Room Ceiling Restored 
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Restoration of the ceiling in the historic Red Chamber at
Province House is complete.

Province House is the oldest legislature and recognized as one of
the finest examples of Georgian architecture in Canada,
Transportation and Public Works Minister Don Downe said today.

"Repairing the ceiling of this room required a very specialized
process," said Mr. Downe. "It was a painstaking effort to make
certain that the restoration could be done using a technique that
would emulate the original work."

Speaker-designate Gerry Fogarty officially welcomed the public
back into the Red Chamber.

"The cornerstone was laid for the building of this House in
1811," said Mr. Fogarty. "Today we are humbled to stand here in
the same room as many great Nova Scotians who have made history
here and look at the same intricate work they looked upon."

The $257,000 project was carried out by Cureggio General
Construction Ltd. of Halifax. The specialized process developed
for this kind of repair was led by Ron Stewart of Historic
Plaster Conservation Services, subcontracted by Cureggio. 

"The process I used rebinds the plaster on the underside of the
ceiling to the wooden laths above the ceiling," said Mr. Stewart.
"The result is a perfect restoration, retaining the esthetics of
history to the naked eye, while making the aging ceiling
stronger."

Said Mr. Downe: "Maintaining the proud history here at Province
House was a priority going into this project. I am delighted
we've been able to go one step further with this work, fortifying
the ceiling for the decades to come."

The Red Chamber, also known as the Red Room, was closed to the
public in April as a safety precaution after concerns were raised
about the possibility of falling plaster. After the tender
process was complete, restoration work began in August and took
approximately eight weeks.

-30-

Contact: Laura Lee Langley
         Transporation and Public Works
         902-424-8687
         E-mail: langlell@gov.ns.ca

         Don Ross, project manager
         Transportation and Public Works
         902-424-3797


ngr                September 30, 1997                11:30 am