Plaster Preservation at the Brody Jewish Center

Historic preservation efforts are underway at The Brody Jewish Center. This week, our partners at C.M Thomas Construction recreated the original plaster moldings in the board room. Cameron Thomas and his son John assisted us with the same preservation efforts at The Jefferson Theatre. Cameron tells us their talent for restoring damaged plaster was born out of necessity.

“Martin Horn asked us to assist with plaster restoration at The Jefferson Theatre. We had some connections in that line of work, but the bids came back really high. We decided for that price, we could teach ourselves,” explains Cameron.

When it came time to restore the ceilings at Brody, Cameron was the obvious choice. Over the years the ornamental moldings had been subject to water damage, age, and neglect. The team at C.M Thomas has mastered the technique of reproducing these treasured details.

The process starts by creating a rubber mold, which is then set in a hard shell and framed for sturdiness. Plaster is then poured into the mold and left to sit for about 30 minutes or so, depending on the air temperature. The result is an identical replica of the original plaster work! The hardened plaster is then mounted on the wall and receives a coat of finishing paint.