As part of the HVAC and Building Restoration project, the Division III Courtroom was rehabilitated into an exhibit gallery to expand the CSPM’s capacity in sharing more stories about our community. This gallery now features Accessorize It! where visitors explore an open storage display of a wide variety of shoes, hats, jewelry, pipes and other fashion accessories from our collection.
One of the historic features in this room is a legal-themed mural above the judge’s bench. For 120 years, the mural served to remind courtroom visitors of the serious work conducted in the room. The mural required cleaning and stabilization due to the decades of light, tobacco smoke, and dust accumulation. We are pleased to announce that this final part of our capital project was completed last month by the Western Center for Conservation of Fine Art (WCCFA). Located in Denver, Colorado, WCCFA has been providing art conservation services to the public and private sectors for over 35 years. They provide museum quality conservation paintings and painted surfaces. WCCFA has been a longstanding partner of the CSPM.
As part of the conservation process, the conservators spent time with CSPM staff researching the mural.
“…The artist is unknown, but it is believed to have been painted in 1902 or 1903. The first known photograph of the mural is dated 1913. (See historic photo to the left) The imagery depicts three women: one holding a mirror, one with wings holding the book of law, and a blind folded figure holding the scales of justice. Decorative elements are painted in trompe l’oeil technique surrounding the figurative composition, including architectural features and silver laurels.”
Next, the conservators looked at the artwork closely and determined that it was made on three separate canvas which is illustrated in the photo above. The green and red section notates where the artist painted on canvas while the blue section is where the artist is painted directly on the plaster wall.
During their examination, they also found that the mural had accumulated heavy grime especially towards the upper half of the artwork. This caused the mural’s colors to look muted. Once clean, the mural became much brighter and resembled the artists’ original color palette. In the photos below, you can see the difference between the treated and untreated areas of the mural.
This conservation project would not have been possible without a generous donations from History Colorado State Historical Fund and the Clock Tower Society to support the rehabilitation of the Division III Courtroom.
We encourage you to make a special visit to see the newly restored mural.
Diane Barber Stine, Development Director
The CSPM’s mission is to build a lasting connection to the Pikes Peak region by preserving and sharing our cultural history. We fulfill this mission through projects like this one. Individuals like you make this possible.Â
Donate today to support our mission in preserving and sharing our cultural history at the CSPM.Â