a most holy design for the Most Holy Trinity Church

step and repeat - a stenciling overview

the envelope please…

don't spill on the 500,000 people below

Stenciling and murals at The Most Holy Trinity Church, Pomfret, CT

This quaint 1887 rural Roman Catholic Church, nestled on the green of a tiny Connecticut hamlet is being made whole again through the efforts of John Canning Painting & Conservation Studios and architect Roger Clarke, AIA. The church was moved from next to the Post Office (across the street) to its present location in 1973 when the parish purchased the rectory property.

The limits of a modest budget did not deter John Canning from providing an investigation to uncover historic decoration schemes and their assigned periods. Armed with no less than four identifiable periods of decoration, and evidence of Stations of the Cross "murals," informed recommendations and decisions were made as to how best to proceed.

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Stenciling and striping details from Christ Church, Riverdale, NY

The earliest known stencil-like designs first appeared in Western China at the caves of the Thousand Buddhas. This decorative paint technique is created by brushing paint over a cutout pattern affixed to a substrate. The cutout pattern is moved evenly across the surface (stepped) to form a "repeat" pattern. Stencil designs are often accompanied by striping when a border pattern is desired. The popularity of stenciling grew in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe and North America and is often a component of preservation and restoration in buildings of those periods.

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After a job well done, LHAT staff members Colleen and JP relax on a cruise around Manhattan, the closing event of the 2001 NYC conference

The League of Historic American Theatres was officially founded in 1977, four years after the initial planning meeting held at Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT. Hosted by Goodspeed Executive Director Michael Price, Robert D. Stoddard, Director of Development, Grand Opera House, (Wilmington, DE); Alan McCracken, Executive Director, Ohio Theatre (Columbus, OH); and Robert Tolan, Executive Director, Fulton Opera House (Lancaster, PA) were in attendance. The mission of the League remains the same today as it was conceived then -- to support and facilitate the rescue, restoration and reuse of historic theatres.

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Sky Mural cleaning in progress at Grand Central Terminal, NYC

Half a million people daily passed through Grand Central Terminal during John Canning Studios' conservation cleaning of the Sky Mural 140 feet above the main concourse. In preparation, great concern was voiced over the possibility of "spilling" the cleaning solution or water onto the throngs below. Architects, engineers, consultants all puzzled over the proper device design, the cost to construct, the possible delay incurred, that would ensure protection for the oblivious masses below.

John Canning solved the problem by purchasing a plastic "kiddy pool" to contain buckets of cleaning solution, water, and used rags: cost - under $20; delay - none; effectiveness - absolute.