NPS
New velvet in production on looms in Lyon, France
In conjunction with education, preserving Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is the primary mission of the National Park Service. Since acquiring the property in 1939, the park's team of resource managers, curators, conservators, technicians, historians and consultants work year-round to preserve and restore the landscape, gardens, historic structures, interiors and museum collections. Today, ongoing research and advances in preservation technology guide the park's efforts to restore this place to its appearance during the Vanderbilts' lifetime.
Preservation at Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is managed under three departments—the Facility Maintenance Division, the Natural Resource Division, and the Museum Services Division. The park's staff routinely monitors resource conditions, identifies preservation needs, and oversees preservation work undertaken by park employees and contractors. Together, the professional staff works to ensure that visitors to Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site experience the property much as it was during the Vanderbilts' ownership and to preserve this chapter of our Nation's heritage for future generations.
In 2008, Curators at Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site initiated a project to reproduce the original Living Room curtains for the house. The original curtains were removed from exhibit for treatment and placed in the park's collection storage facility to protect them from continued deterioration. The original velvet was probably acquired by Stanford White from Morant & Co., an important London-based interior decorating and upholstery firm since 1790. The velvet was most likely produced in Lyon, France where park curators contracted with one of the oldest surviving silk weaving firms to produce new velvet. The new velvet was handwoven on ancient looms taking more than a year to produce. The park is now in contract to reproduce the original trimmings and the new curtains are expected to be assembled and installed in the living room in late 2012.
