Summary 1 1. INTRODUCTION A. the City of Worcester Issues This RFQ
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1. INTRODUCTION A. The City of Worcester issues this RFQ for the purposes of engaging the services of a qualified professional sculpture conservator or art conservation studio (hereafter identified as the “Conservator” or the “Vendor”) to perform cleaning and conservation of twelve historic objects and monuments within the City of Worcester. B. The following sculptures and monuments are to be conserved/repaired: Wheaton Square (1898) (bronze) Celtic Cross (stone) City Hall Armor (2, metal) City Hall, Deedy Plaque (bronze) City Hall Marble Eagle (2) City Hall Mastrototoro Plaque (bronze) City Hall USS Maine Plaque (bronze) City Hall Norcross Plaque (bronze) City Hall Order of Construction Plaque (bronze) City Hall Ship Bell (bronze) Elm Park Fisher Boy (bronze and stone) Elm Park Winslow Gate (Lincoln Gate) (bronze and natural boulders) C. The Conservator will provide all supplies and materials, site safety materials including signs, caution tape, safety cones, and plastic sheeting. D. The Conservator will provide weekly updates to the project manager. E. Schedule for Work: all work must begin and be completed by dates agreed upon by the selected Conservator and the City of Worcester. F. The Conservator will be responsible for erecting scaffold as needed, and providing ladders as needed, except for historic objects within Worcester City Hall, where the Facilities Department will provide access. 2. REQUIRED SERVICES: PROFESSIONAL ART CONSERVATION TREATMENT A. The Conservator shall implement all conservation services according to the treatments to be carried out according to the Standards for Practice outlined by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, including: surface cleaning of sculptures and monuments, removal of previous coatings as specified, repatination of bronze to correct historic color, removal of old or Summary 1 inappropriate coatings or over paint, structural repairs as specified, restoration of missing elements as specified in individual reports and with consultation with the project manager. Protective coatings on metal objects will be carried out as specified (wax or Incralac and wax) Conservator shall submit complete written and photographic documentation, including daily work log, as described below, within six weeks of completion of services: B. Written documentation: A written final treatment report shall be submitted for each object, which shall consist of a description of all materials used and procedures followed. The format of the reports should follow the standards of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. C. Photographic documentation: In addition to written reports the City of Worcester will require the photographic documentation of the before, during and after‐treatment condition and appearance of each object. Photographic documentation shall be conducted using both overall and detail images as follows. Digital photographic documentation may be submitted in JPEG or TIFF format. Please label each image with object name, phase of treatment and condition being documented. 3. SPECIFICATIONS FOR CLEANING A. Stone: Granite, marble, and fieldstone: Green growth from moss, lichen, or other bio‐growth will be removed from the stone by an initial application of Nilodor Professional’s Edge Bio‐Enzymatic Digester, followed by washing and rinsing with Vulpex Detergent (potassium methyl cyclohexyl oleate). No acidic cleaners are to be used. B. Bronze and other metals: Bronze to be washed with Orvus detergent (sodium lauryl sulfate), using sponges or soft brushes, followed by copious water rinsing and drying with cotton rags or microfiber cloths. 4. SPECIFICATIONS FOR PATINATION OF BRONZE A. Bronze to be hot re‐patinated: Wheaton Square: 1890, and Elm Park: Fisher Boy. Repatinate using historically correct patinating reagents in water, specifically ferric nitrate, potassium permanganate, or liver of sulfur, using a propane or high purity gas heat torch. B. SAMPLES OF PATINAS must be submitted for approval to the project manager before re‐patination can commence. Summary 2 5. SPECIFICATIONS FOR PROTECTIVE COATINGS A. Indoor bronze to be protected by a hard paste wax (Butcher’s Bowling Alley Paste Wax is recommended), followed by gentle buffing with soft brushes. B. Outdoor Bronze (Wheaton Square: 1890, and Elm Park: Fisher Boy) to be protected with Incralac lacquer (Acryloid B‐44) in toluene, applied by brush and/or spray. 6. SPECIFICATIONS FOR REPLACEMENTS PARTS A. Elm Park: Fisher Boy requires replacement of the missing fishing pole. A new pole may be fabricated in bronze or fiberglass, as chosen by the Conservator and the project manager. In either case, at least one extra replacement part must be provided to the City of Worcester. 7. APPROVED SOURCES FOR CONSERVATION PRODUCTS: A. Talas Online, for all detergents and Incralac: http://www.talasonline.com B. Nilodor Professional’s Edge Bio‐Enzymatic Digester: http://www.nilodor.com/The‐Professionals‐Edge.aspx C. Butcher’s Bowling Alley Paste Wax: http://www.bwccompany.com/bowlingalley.html D. Patination Reagents: http://www.conservationsupportsystems.com/main 8. QUALIFICATIONS A. The successful bidder must be a trained conservator whose primary occupation is the practice of conservation and who, through specialized education, knowledge, training, and experience, formulates and implements all the activities of conservation in accordance with the American Institute of Conservation’s Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice. B. Prior experience of at least 7 or more years’ conserving monuments, outdoor bronze, stone, and historic artifacts is required. Bidders should provide a list of similar projects with at least two references. The successful bidder will be the lowest cost qualified bidder. 9. SITE SPECIFIC REPAIR SCOPE (See following sheets for details of each monument) Summary 3 Wheaton Square 1898 by Andrew O’Connor, Jr. 1 OUTDOOR MONUMENT CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 1898 Date of recent site visit: 10/20/16 Artist: O’Connor, Andrew, Jr. (1874-1941) Foundry: T.F. McGann & Sons Company Title: 1898 Date: Dedicated ApriL 19, 1917, in Armory Square (name changed to Wheaton Square), with 50,000 peopLe in attendance. Location: Wheaton Square, Worcester (corner of Grove and SaLisbury Streets). Wheaton Square is named after Homer J. Wheaton, the first soldier from Worcester who died in World War I, on February 28, 1918). Dimensions: ScuLpture: Approximately 8’. Base: H 4’1” x W 3’ 9 ½” Inscriptions: Signed “O’Connor” on proper left side of sculpture, signed: T.F. McGann & Sons Co/Boston, MA FDY”. On front of Base (lithochromed carved stone letters): To The Men of Worcester/ In the War With Spain/1898 Description: A standing figure of a Soldier from the Spanish-American War, dressed in a Loose shirt, torn at the shouLder, sleeves pushed up. His proper right hand rests on his proper right hip. A rifle is slung over his proper left shoulder and he holds a hat in his proper left hand. Around his waist is a cartridge belt inscribed: MASS. The sculpture is attached to a Low square granite base. Historic Notes Brief Artist Biography: Andrew O’Connor, Jr. was born in Worcester, the son of Andrew O’Connor (the artist who scuLpted the Fisher Boy of the ChamberLain Fountain). He studied under his father and worked for the scuLptor WiLLiam Ordway Partridge for the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1891-2. He met John Singer Sargent and assisted him with the pLaster reLiefs in the rotunda of the Museum of Wheaton Square Page 1 1898 by Andrew O’Connor, Jr. 2 Fine Arts. He was aLso commissioned by DanieL Chester French to make the monumentaL bronze doors in Saint Bartholomew’s Church in New York. O’Connor, Jr. lived and worked in Paris from 1903-1914, where he was infLuenced by JuLes DaLou and Auguste Rodin, and then worked from 1914 to the mid-1920’s in Paxton, MA. Later in Life, he moved back to Europe, first in Paris and then in IreLand and London. Additional notes: The scuLpture was a gift of Camp 28, U.S. War Veterans, at a cost of $7,000.00. One of the artist’s students, Vincent S. Wickham, was a modeL for the scuLpture. Smithsonian Inventory of American Sculpture # 87630013. SIRIS Lists 49 works of art in American coLLections by Andrew S. O’Connor, Jr. Additional note # 2: a lantern slide photograph of the sculpture is available in the Smithsonian OnLine CoLLection Search Center, image number SSC S001825, Archives and SpeciaL ColLections, Smithsonian American Art Museum. It is not clear from the label and image if this is the monument in Worcester or a smaLLer bronze version, but it does show the bronze before any corrosion occurred. CONDITION Above: OveraLL of Wheaton Square, with Andrew O’Connor Jr.’s bronze scuLpture. The square is to the side of a Salisbury Street. Wheaton Square Page 2 1898 by Andrew O’Connor, Jr. 3 STRUCTURE The scuLpture of the Spanish-American War soldier is in fair structuraL condition, with heavy copper aLLoy corrosion from acid deposition and a Large hoLe in the soLdier’s hat on the reverse from a casting flaw. Conservation treatment required incLudes repairing holes in the cast, reducing Loose corrosion, repatinating, and appLying a protective coating to prevent further damage. Above: image showing Wheaton Square landscaping. The bushes appear to have been planted to prevent access to the scuLpture, but they aLso bLock viewing the granite base. Litter/garbage found in the park incLuded empty “nip” Liquor bottles, Mardi-gras beads, and a whoLe dead fish. Wheaton Square Page 3 1898 by Andrew O’Connor, Jr. 4 Above left: OveraLL of bronze scuLpture. The scuLpture was originaLLy a medium-dark brown, but the green copper suLfate corrosion and bLack copper suLfide corrosion has obscured the visuaL reading of the scuLpture. Right: view from front/proper Left. The dense bushes prevent people from reaching the granite base, but they aLso prevent viewing the inscription on the stone. A new planting plan could add visuaL interest to the area but aLso aLLow viewing the entire memoriaL.