By Kristi Casey Sanders
Movie mogul William Fox wanted only the best for his flagship Fox Theatre in Atlanta, so he sent his wife to hand-select its décor from the prestigious, Chicago-based design firm Ketcham and Rothschild.
Seventy-seven years later, the Fox’s furnishings haven’t tarnished with age, but repeated use and abuse has taken its toll. The Restoration Department’s Furniture Conservation Project aims to bring the theater’s collection of furniture up to a uniformly high standard, one that accurately represents what the theater’s lounges and public spaces looked like on opening day in December 1929.
Vermont-based furniture conservator Victoria Jefferies and her husband Thom Gentle are leading the effort. Other high-profile projects they have worked on include the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater Collection and Atlanta’s Swan House.
Between four and six pieces will be chosen each year for conservation. “We hope, budget permitting, to gradually address the entire collection over the next five to seven years,” says Michele Schuff, historic collection manager for the Fox Theatre Preservation Department. “The most pressing items [are] being selected and prioritized by the conservators and by Fox Restoration staff.”
Conservators do not do restoration work. “They are addressing what’s missing,” Schuff says. “They may do some painting, but they repair the structural elements. Almost everything they’re doing is reversible. They’re not going to use an adhesive that’s stronger than the wood … or remove any of the original finishing. They’re reversing inappropriate repairs that have been done over the years.”
Jefferies and Gentle conduct surface studies before deciding on how to repair an item. “It’s not a quick fix, and it’s not inexpensive” Schuff explains. “They’re more interested in keeping with the quality and integrity of the whole.”
Phase One, which was completed in December 2006, restored the two Egyptian “King Tut” chairs from the mezzanine Ladies Lounge, an upholstered vanity seat from the same lounge, a large table from the mezzanine men’s room, and a decorative console table from the lower lounge staircase. This year’s Phase Two plans include the conservation of five additional pieces, and bringing Jefferies and Gentle to Atlanta for a two-week residency.
For more information, visit foxtheatre.org , or purchase The Decorative Arts of the Fabulous Fox Theatre from the Fox Theater gift kiosk. The Fabulous Fox Theatre: The History of an Atlanta Icon and The Fabulous Fox Theatre: Great Performances also are available for sale in the lobby.
