Media Contacts: Thea M. Page, 626-405-2260, [email protected] Susan Turner-Lowe, 626-405-2269, [email protected] Project Team EARL CORP ., I RWINDALE , C ALIF . LEAD ARCHITECT AND GENERAL CONTRACTOR Founded in 1932, Earl Corp., Irwindale, Calif., is a desig n/co nstruction firm with projects ranging from commercial buildings to schools and historic restorations. Their building projects include the UCLA Plant Physiology building, Los Angeles; the Mt. SAC Science Building, Walnut, Calif.; the Walnut City Hall; the City of Fontana Development Services Building; and the historic 1929 Grace Nicholson building, which now houses the Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena. In 2004 Earl Corp. completed the 90,000-square-foot Munger Research Center on the grounds of The Huntington. With oversight by Bert England, senior vice president, Earl Corp. served as the lead architect and general contractor for the major renovation of the Huntington Art Gallery (2006–08). For this project, the firm researched archival documents related to the original design and construction of the 1911 structure, surveyed and assessed the building’s condition, and, working closely with Architec- tural Resources Group, San Francisco, the project preservation architect, prepared drawings, specifica- tions, paint color analyses and discovered samples of interior and exterior material finishes from the building’s archaeological sites. ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP , S AN FRANCISCO , C ALIF . PRESERVATION ARCHITECT Architectural Resources Group (ARG), San Francisco, is a firm of architects, planners, historians, and conservators providing a range of services to clients with historic or culturally significant properties. Founded in 1980, ARG has managed projects that have included design of new structures in sensitive environments, renovation and adaptive use of historic structures, planning for historic districts and communities, and conservation of historic materials and finishes. With oversight by Stephen Farneth, FAIA, ARG provided design and preservation services for the major renovation of the Huntington Art Gallery. For this project, the firm provided historical documentation and evaluation, conceptual design and planning for the new and existing galleries, and specifications for building systems and materials. This involved evaluating the historical significance of various spaces and architectural features of the 1911 building, as well as developing plans for circulation, entry, and space utilization. ARG specified finish materials and developed repair strategies. Working closely with Stephen Saitas Designs, New York, the Gallery’s exhibition designer, ARG also laid out design details for the new and renovated gallery spaces. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens I 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108 I 626.40 5.2100 2 STEPHEN SAITAS DESIGNS , N EW YORK EXHIBITION DESIGNER Stephen Saitas Designs, New York, has designed more than 150 installations and exhibitions in museums, galleries, historic houses, and libraries since it was established in 1982. Recent projects include the Nathaniel Lord Britton Rotunda and Elizabeth Britton Gallery for science collections at the New York Botanical Garden; “Ehon: The Artist and the Book in Japan” at the New York Public Library; “The Arnhold Collection of Meissen Porcelain, 1710–50,” at the Frick Collection, New York; and the reinstallation of the American wing period rooms at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (scheduled to open in 2009). As exhibition designer for the renovation of the Huntington Art Gallery, which included the complete reinstallation of the European art collection, Saitas focused on balancing the requirements of displaying the works of art—visibility, protection, conservation—with the historic architecture of the house. This resulted in exhibit elements such as cases, platforms, and pedestals designed so they neither overwhelm the objects nor contrast strongly with the architecture. Working closely with the curatorial team, Saitas also decided the exhibit elements should not look as though they were part of the original house, nor glaringly modern. For this reason, the design of decorative details such as the moldings around windows and doors was simplified for use on the new platforms and cases. Similarly, paint and fabric colors for the cases play a supporting role, leaving the star roles to the objects. # # # Updated 4/08.