After being repainted and then
abandoned to the basement of
Harmony Hall for more than fifty
years, a circa 1900 chandelier that
was discovered in 2006. The light
fixture, which was probably purchased
and installed by Henry Ransom Sloat
only years before his death in 1905,
has now been expertly restored as a
gift to the house by internationally-
esteemed conservator Kenneth Linsner. Visitors to the mansion during November and December 2010 received a special opportunity to get a sneak peak at the newly-restored chandelier before it is retired to a more secure location, where it will rest until the Town of Ramapo has upgraded the electrical service and switches that will power the fixture, and until Friends have raised the resources needed to complete repairs to the ceiling plasterwork and medallionin the South Salon. Current plans call for the chandelier to be returned to its original berth after this additional work has been completed.
Mr. Linsner (standing) was making his first
visit to Harmony Hall during last year's Victorian Holiday when he discovered the fixture among a group of Sloat artifacts that had been displayed to encourage guests to savor the significant history of Harmony Hall. After a year of dedicated work, which include the identification of a salvage fixture of the same time period that could provide the many crystals needed to fully restore the Harmony Hall relic, the Colonial Revival chandelier was returned to the South Salon in mid-November for the first time in decades. Mr. Linsner was honored for his generous and expert restoration of the stunning fixture during this year's Victorian Holiday celebration on Dec. 5th.
Mr. Linsner, who has been a resident of
Sloatsburg for the past 32 years, is a member of the Rockland Committee for Art in Public Places. He is also employed by the prestigious Art Services Group. ASG has provided expertise in the restoration of many renowned private and public collections worldwide. His restoration gift is valued at well over $5,000.
For information on how you can help with the campaign to restore ceiling features in order to return the chandelier to its original berth, please contact Treasurer and Restoration Committee member Stephen Hoefer at shoefer@friendsofharmonyhall.org or call Curator Geoff Welch at 845.712.5220.