The Montgomery Monument in the east window of St. Paul's Chapel in lower Manhattan is the first official monument commissioned by the Continental Congress in 1776. The monument commemorates the death of Revolutionary War-hero General Richard Montgomery who died in battle. It was created in France by Jean-Jacques Caffieri ("Sculptor of the King" to Louis XV) under the direction of Benjamin Franklin. 

Location

New York, New York

Architect & Date

Jean-Jacques Caffieri, 1789

Client

Trinity Wall Street

Services Provided

ICR designed and implemented, with ICC, the conservation and restoration of the monument and its surrounding window and masonry at St. Paul's Chapel. It is the first official monument of our country commissioned by the Continental Congress in 1776.

Design and implementation of the conservation and restoration of the monument:

• Initial assessment of conservation needs

• Testing materials and methods for cleaning

• Disassembly and reassembly of monument for conservation implementation

• Cleaning and repair implementation

When ICR first approached the monument in 2010 it was weathered and in need of repair. The marble was cracked in multiple locations, several pieces were missing, and inappropriate repairs had been made during previous interventions.

ICR conducted an initial needs assessment of the monument as well as conservation testing on the four marbles and one limestone which comprises it. It was determined that the poor structural condition of the monument required its disassembly for implementation of the repairs. 

Once the testing and design phase was completed, ICR teamed with ICC for the implementation work. This first consisted of the monument's disassembly, which revealed physical evidence of its original appearance. Portions of the marbles that were protected from weathering appeared to have originally been highly polished, creating a vibrant colorful monument. This was in great contrast to the muted colors of the monument in 2010. 

With the Client and Landmarks Preservation Commission, an approach was determined for its cleaning and repair in order to restore some of the original vibrancy of the monument. The conservation work, which was implemented by ICR and ICC and specialty subcontractors, was conducted in an on-site workshop and then the monument was reassembled into the chapel window.