Heritage is pleased to report that one of our recent projects has been featured on both WMBD News and the Peoria Journal Star. An antique marble statue at the historic Springdale Cemetery had been vandalized. The outstretched hand of Jesus giving His Sermon on the Mount had been taken and, to date, has not been found. The Springdale Historic Preservation Foundation reached out to Heritage Restoration to repair the statue and carve a new hand.
About Heritage's work:
Since all that remained of the original hand were an old photograph and a broken outline on the statue’s wrist, our design staff had to get creative. Using molding compounds, we took a cast of the wrist and set to work developing the design of the hand. A prototype hand was 3D printed in polyurethane. This hand was brought to the cemetery and tested against the statue to ensure that the design was accurate. Once the hand was approved by the Springdale Historic Preservation Foundation, Heritage sought out the statuary white marble from which to carve the new hand. Since this particular type of marble is not native to the United States, Heritage reached out to our company offices abroad and had the hand carved in Europe. Once the fresh marble was cut and shaped, the right hand was shipped to Peoria for installation. Using chemical sealants and mechanical fittings, Heritage Restoration attached the new hand onto the wrist of the original statue. A custom mixture of finishes were applied to the hand to blend its color precisely to that of the rest of the statue. This historic, statue is now good as new, without ever having lost its vintage appearance.
View the project details, production video, and pictures.
About Springdale Cemetery:
Springdale Cemetery is a spacious 227-acre property that houses residents of Peoria Illinois and the surrounding area. Among the famous individuals interred there is Octave Chanute, who assisted the Wright Brothers in developing and promoting the first functioning aircraft. Springdale has been in operation since its founding in 1855. The site is a member of the National Register of Historic Places. This distinguished title denotes the cemetery to be “the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation (National Park Service, www.nps.gov).” Springdale is both a cemetery and a park, with six miles of roads and trails surrounded by scenic foliage.
After years of property damages caused by weather and vandalism, concerned individuals came together with the city of Peoria to form the Springdale Historic Preservation Foundation. The Foundation, aided by numerous community volunteers, seeks to maintain the beauty of the cemetery grounds and to restore its numerous statues and monuments.
Links:
https://www.pjstar.com/news/20181010/long-missing-jesus-hand-is-restored-at-springdale-cemetery
https://www.1470wmbd.com/major-repairs-to-springdale-cemetery-monuments/
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