The completion of a three-year project to fully renovate and restore the Hillwood estate continues Marjorie Merriweather Post’s commitment to providing a state-of-the-art showcase for her world-class collection of Russian imperial and 18^th-century French decorative art. When Mrs. Post bought the Georgian-style estate in the late 1950s, she hired architect Alexander McIlvaine to significantly enlarge and redesign the 36-room mansion to include lighted display cases with pullout identification label drawers for her finest pieces.  When Hillwood reopens September 26, the new facilities will further enhance the exhibition and preservation of the collection for the enjoyment and education of the public.

Hillwood has undergone major structural repair, as well as the restoration of its interiors and select objects on display.  A new Visitor Center with improved orientation facilities has been added, as well as a resource center housing catalogues and books pertaining to the collections and an interactive computer kiosk on the second floor of the mansion.  In addition, an advanced lighting system recessed into the ceilings of the main exhibition rooms make it easier to view and study the objects on display.

During the renovation process, the entire collection was temporarily removed from the mansion’s exhibition rooms – the Entry Hall, the hexagonal Russian Porcelain Room, the French Drawing Room, the Icon Room displaying treasures by Fabergé, the French Regency-style Dining Room, the Breakfast Room, the Pavilion, the English-style Library, the Russian Liturgical Gallery and the bedrooms upstairs.

A traveling exhibition of more than 180 of the museum’s finest pieces toured the United States, allowing more than 250,000 visitors at eight museums across the country to enjoy the collection. The remainder of works was safely stored in specially designed racks and containers on the estate to facilitate study and conservation efforts. Conservators carefully treated and cleaned furniture and French tapestries, they polished and rewired the chandeliers and period light fixtures throughout the museum, and they also restored many of the picture frames in the collection.

"There were two key aspects of the renovation and restoration of the estate," said Hillwood conservator Albert Marshall. "One was pinpointing just the right specialists and materials to recreate original surfaces discovered throughout the house, and the other was the carefully installing new wiring, ventilation and security systems while maintaining the integrity of the interior decorative elements. A major challenge was restoring and replicating materials manufactured in the mid to late 60s, when Mrs. Post bought and redesigned the mansion, at the same time preserving the essence of the environment she had created."

Restoration of Interiors
Curatorial and conservation staff researched methods to replace damaged or deteriorated interior finishes, such as wall coverings, with similar or identical materials. Over the years, fabrics had faded or deteriorated, while the steady flow of visitors had worn the floors and other surfaces. Damaged fabrics were replaced with those of the same quality, requiring the extensive research of original receipts and historical photographs in the museum's archives. Appropriate materials and manufacturers had to be selected, and new fabric was woven and installed in both the Icon Room and the Pavilion. In particular, the Icon Room wall covering from the noted fabric house Scalamandre was meticulously recreated from the original, as was the dramatic purple silk velvet covering in the Pavilion. Also, the gold-colored silk-on-silk velvet in all the built-in cases throughout the mansion was rewoven in Italy.

The majority of surfaces, however, were restored rather than replaced. Crews of specialized craftsmen were enlisted to restore the intricate marquetry floors, and treatment of the Front Hall's plaster surface brought back the original brilliant interior. The pine wood paneling in the two libraries also was cleaned to reveal intricate detail work that had become obscured by a buildup of dust and wax.

Structural Repair
Structural improvements included upgrading environmental conditions to better protect the interiors and the collection, and the most important mechanical work involved installing a new heating, cooling, and ventilation system that pipes hot and cold water into the mansion from a new central plant. The mansion's underground walls also were waterproofed to protect the structural integrity of the foundation, and the house was completely rewired and provided with upgraded fire suppression and security systems.

Because work in the mansion involved heavy construction and the interior walls could not be removed, interior protection was installed and a secondary set of freestanding walls was constructed. Once the renovation and restoration process was complete, the chandeliers and period fixtures were reinstalled and tested, the draperies were cleaned and re-hung or replaced, and thousands of objects were carefully reinstalled throughout the mansion.