SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Restoration of the Decorative Painting on Wall Canvas on the Lower Walls in the Strom Thurmond Room, S-238, in the United States Capitol
- Notice Date
- 6/27/2012
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 711510
— Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers
- Contracting Office
- Architect of the Capitol, AOC Acquisition & Material Management Division, Acquisition and Material Management Division, Ford House Office Building, Second and D Streets, S.W., Washington, District of Columbia, 20515, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20515
- Solicitation Number
- RFP120015
- Archive Date
- 8/30/2012
- Point of Contact
- Jerrod T Whittington,
- E-Mail Address
-
jwhittin@aoc.gov
(jwhittin@aoc.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) has a requirement to restore decorative painting on the wall canvas of the lower walls in the Strom Thurmond Room (S-238) in the United States Capitol. Room S-238 on the second floor of the Central West Front was constructed in 1901 in space previously occupied by the Library of Congress, with decoration directed by Elmer Garnsey in 1901 and 1902. Gilded ceiling vaults and lunettes on the ceiling containing murals Arthur Reginald Willet have previously been conserved. This project focuses on restoring the decorative murals on the walls at and below the cornice. The walls are covered with a sized and primed cotton canvas applied with a wheat paste in sections approximately 84 inches wide. The canvas covered with salmon colored oil paint was textured with stencil brushes and decorated with stenciled floral patterns in a lighter shade to create the effect of damask fabric. The walls were covered with an early varnish and a more recent synthetic clear coating. A frieze with a Vitruvian scroll marking the cornice level and the laurel-leaf borders were accented with gilding. Because this is the only room in the Central West Front that retains its original decorated wall canvas, the goal is to conserve it as much as possible while smoothing out the surface irregularities and to restore the original appearance of the room, ensuring that the lower walls harmonize with the conserved ceiling murals. Over time, the painted canvas has developed unsightly cracks, reticulation, cupping, and creases as the unevenly-applied adhesive has lost its bond to the wall in some places and cracks have developed in the underlying plaster. The integrity of the decorative canvas has been disrupted by abrasion and by the installation of electricity, most notably with the installation of fluorescent lights at the cornice level and sconces by the windows, and by holes made for hanging pictures. The fluorescent fixtures will be removed so that the Vitruvian scroll frieze can be restored. The exposed areas of the frieze and stenciled borders appear to have been overpainted. The decorative finishes have been discolored by darkened varnish, soot and grime, and extensive repainting. The south wall has been completely repainted and its color is uneven and not consistent with the rest of the room. Canvas in the window wells may have been removed. The goal is to conserve and restore the original appearance of the decorated wall canvas in place, retaining original fabric to the extent possible while improving the aesthetic appearance and long-term preservation. Work will begin with review of two previous studies and with testing in sample locations of materials and methods for cleaning, removal of overpaint and varnish, and consolidation, reduction of creasing and cracking, and restoration of original aesthetic effects and other testing to prepare a Project Execution Plan. Removal of the canvas from the wall will be included as an option, with the preference to have work completed in situ. The work is to be directed by a trained and experienced fine art painting conservator who is a Professional Associate or Fellow in the American Institute for Conservation and carried out by fine art painting conservators and skilled decorative painters. This project will be solicited as a Request for Proposal with intent to award a Firm-Fixed Price contract. The solicitation will be made available on or about July 13, 2012.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/AOC/AOCPD/WashingtonDC/RFP120015/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: United States Capitol, Washington, District of Columbia, 20515, United States
- Zip Code: 20515
- Zip Code: 20515
- Record
- SN02787420-W 20120629/120627235056-1bfa7cafb7ff9e64c759a7924dbdd0d3 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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