central park - bethesda terrace

Central Park - 1.jpg, originally uploaded by jonoliver.

www.centralparknyc.org/virtualpark/southend/bethesdaterrace

"On March 2, 2007, the Central Park Conservancy reopened Bethesda Terrace Arcade after completing an intricate restoration. The Arcade is a richly decorated component of Bethesda Terrace, and now the treasured Minton tile ceiling has been preserved and reinstalled. The tile panels were removed from the Arcade in the early 1980s and put into storage because their backing plates were severely corroded from water infiltration. To restore the tiles, the Conservancy employed a team of seven conservation technicians who cleaned and repaired about 14,000 original tiles by hand. Only three panels were needed to replace badly damaged ones.

The Arcade’s ceiling is made up of 15,876 elaborately patterned encaustic tiles, handmade by Minton and Company, a leading 19th century ceramic manufacturer in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The Conservancy commissioned Maw and Company, Minton’s successor, for the project. To ensure the tiles will not suffer future water damage, the Conservancy also restored the Arcade’s infrastructure. The final phase of the $7 million project includes the reconstruction, waterproofing, and repaving of the upper terrace plaza and the 72nd Street Cross Drive above the Arcade."