Cast Iron Balconies and Statuary

A distinctive feature decorating the limestone façade of the mansion, these balconies were most certainly designed in 1910 by the architects, Carrere and Hastings in the style of Louis XVIth. Heavily gilt garlands of laurel festooned with flowers surrounding a stylized urn express the influence of French Chateaux. Historic photos of the mansion were used to recreate the original gilding scheme.

Statuary

Life sized Elk cast in iron stand guard at either side of a grand stair leading to the

Western Gardens. Signed J. Lecourtier and dating from the later half of the nineteenth century they are impressive examples of the foundryman’s art. Minor structural repairs were made to the legs and each piece refinished.

As the central feature of the Lily Pond Fountain, a young faun holds two jars from which water pours. He is surrounded by over scaled frogs and turtles. All of these cast iron pieces had to be refinished and in the process it was discovered that the faun had originally been electroplated with copper and displayed as a bronze sculpture. This unusual finding led to the decision to replace the figure with a bronze replica and display the original indoors.

The Conservatory windows are guarded with custom cast iron railings.

Over the years the original gilding had been painted over and gold paint used to highlight certain details.

Using the historic photos of the property the newly refurbished railings were gilded in 23.75 carat gold leaf. Shown here Wayne Fuller of Robinson Iron applies touch-up on site.

Robinson’s expert crew led by David Argo installed the front railings. Looking on (in the red shirt) is Al Neighbors who positioned the heavy equipment.

Here the restored Elk await transportation to the site in Wilmington.

The installed Elk look out from the manor house to the major axis of the gardens.

As the centerpiece of the Lily Pond Fountain this statue of a young faun was found to be cast iron with an electroplated copper finish. It will be used in an interpretive display and a bronze copy will be installed in the restored fountain.