The Cleveland Museum of Art is one of the great neoclassic institutions of the American Midwest, originally designed by Cleveland architects Hubbell and Benes and opened in 1916 -- the same year Graciano Corporation was founded. Constructed from white Georgia marble, the building's exterior exemplifies the formal grandeur of Beaux-Arts museum design. By the late 1990s, decades of Cleveland weather had eroded mortar joints, stained the marble surface, and compromised architectural elements requiring comprehensive professional attention.
Graciano Corporation was engaged as general contractor for the full exterior restoration, working under the direction of the museum's architectural team. The project addressed conditions across the building's marble facade, returning it to a sound, clean, and historically appropriate condition.
Scope of Work
Services Performed
- Water cleaning and controlled pressure washing of marble surfaces
- Complete masonry repointing throughout the exterior
- Unit stone replacement and precision marble repairs
- Dutchman installations for damaged marble sections
- Bronze work restoration
- Storm window installation
- Bird netting installation to protect architectural details
- Lead cap installation on water tables, cornices, and drip edges
The Challenge of Soft Georgia Marble
White Georgia marble presents particular challenges in restoration work. The stone is comparatively soft relative to other marble varieties and highly sensitive to cleaning methods and mortar chemistry. Both the cleaning approach and the mortar mix had to be formulated with exceptional care to avoid damaging or discoloring the stone surface.
Project Manager Dave Sinclair of Graciano described the approach: "In restoring a historic landmark, the architect's guidelines must be followed precisely. Great care must be taken not to harm" the soft marble during mortar work. Architect Randy Von Ryan echoed the standard required: "You have to be as delicate as possible with the materials -- not to damage or over-clean the stone."
Graciano's crews evaluated each section of the exterior before specifying cleaning methods and mortar mixes, ensuring that restoration treatments were matched to actual stone conditions rather than applied uniformly across the facade.
Award-Winning Preservation Work
The quality of Graciano's work on the Cleveland Museum of Art was recognized by the International Masonry Institute, which awarded the project its 2002 Golden Trowel Award for Significant Achievement in Preservation and Conservation for projects exceeding five million dollars. The Golden Trowel is among the most prestigious recognition programs in the masonry restoration industry, awarded to projects that demonstrate exceptional craftsmanship and fidelity to historic preservation standards.
About Graciano Corporation
Founded in 1916, Graciano Corporation is one of the oldest and most experienced masonry and concrete restoration firms in the United States. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, with additional offices in New York, NY, and Florida, Graciano performs approximately 90% of all work in-house with its own skilled journeymen. The company is a WBENC-certified Woman Business Enterprise and follows Department of Interior Standards for Historic Preservation on all landmark projects.