  Metaldoctor Member Username: Metaldoctor Post Number: 33 Registered: 01-2007 |
Alert! Alert! Metal doctor estimates total value of sculptures of the Wayne county court house could exceed $150 Million to $180 Million. Someone may want to ask Sotheby’s, Or the Smithsonian. http://www.shareholder.com/bid/downloads/news/20061006-213837.pdf http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/detroit/d14.htm (please copy and paste these into your adress bar) Fact: compatible work fabricated / crafted in the same year, in the same place, in the same technique by the same group of people with the same craftsmanship. Fact: these sculptures are fine reposse work instead of rustic casting. Fact: metal doctor inspected some of the all ready completed work of the four sculptures on the tower, report and pictures pending. (Message edited by metaldoctor on January 24, 2007) | ||
Rrl Member Username: Rrl Post Number: 718 Registered: 12-2003 |
Way to tip off the scrappers bro. Now I'm sure they're headed for the scrap heap or auction. Not to be a dik, but didn't you already state this in another thread? Was an entirely new thread necessary? Just askin'. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 311 Registered: 10-2006 |
Instead of selling the ones from the County bldg, why don't they just sell the ones from the old city hall? http://www.flickr.com/photos/c hrisjman/216114039/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/c hrisjman/216096188/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/c hrisjman/216096183/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/c hrisjman/216096180/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/c hrisjman/216096186/ The building has been gone for forty years, might as well start with selling those sculptures if you are going to... | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1368 Registered: 04-2005 |
What a crying shame! Those statues in the weeds. I have no problem with a new thread for these important issues. Keep it up. (Message edited by PSIP on January 24, 2007) | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 317 Registered: 10-2006 |
The stonework in the weeds, that is city 'storage' Detroit style! | ||
Metaldoctor Member Username: Metaldoctor Post Number: 34 Registered: 01-2007 |
Thank you Charlottepaul for the pictures which was amazing, was wondering if may have anymore pictures of historical metalwork? if so could you post them? | ||
Michmeister Member Username: Michmeister Post Number: 63 Registered: 10-2006 |
Boy oh boy, the city must be rich! To throw away veritable treasures like that, they must be swimmin` in it. Does anybody know if the pieces are all there to be put back together, if anyone had a notion to. | ||
Metaldoctor Member Username: Metaldoctor Post Number: 42 Registered: 01-2007 |
Preserving priceless treasures such as the “Wayne County Courthouse Sculptures” as well as the “Spirit of Detroit” is apart of America’s Historical Ornamental Metalwork, & the artist (Marshall Fredericks, John Massey Rhind) and the craftsman who actually crafted the metal. National Standards Apply: These sculpture represents the great states of America & communities and therefore not for sale making them priceless.       | ||
Detroit_stylin Member Username: Detroit_stylin Post Number: 3699 Registered: 10-2003 |
Metaldoctor where is this sculpture at again? | ||
Granmontrules Member Username: Granmontrules Post Number: 6 Registered: 01-2007 |
If this is the county building it is the County storing them poorly not the city. | ||
Metaldoctor Member Username: Metaldoctor Post Number: 45 Registered: 01-2007 |
The sculpture is located at the U.S. State Department "South Courtyard" which I had the chance to survey. | ||
Metaldoctor Member Username: Metaldoctor Post Number: 48 Registered: 01-2007 |
STOP THE HACK JOB!!!  There are programs regarding this subject around the country, why not Detroit?....Our great city will only prosper if we don’t forget the past and that includes the craftsman who built her. http://www.buildingartscollege.us/ | ||
Dead_monk Member Username: Dead_monk Post Number: 1 Registered: 01-2007 |
The Wayne County Courthouse sculptures are in the process of being restored by a reputable sculpture conservator. No need to worry. | ||
Metaldoctor Member Username: Metaldoctor Post Number: 51 Registered: 01-2007 |
If this is the same reputable conservator who restored “The Four Corner Sculptures” he may know how conserve rustic cast bronze sculptures, but does not know the methods of proper restoration of fine reposse craft. In response to the inspection of the four statues located on the Wayne County Courthouse Tower, I strongly object to the methods of the unprofessional repair. 1.) Common use of methods uses for installing gutters and downspouts: Using small 2”x2” copper cutouts and pop rivets them together in the most crudest manner, a third grade body shop might do. Trying to fill the consequent joints by smudging sauder over the entire repair area and, It left the appearance of an unprofessional hack job verse any professional preservation or restoration performed by standards, instead hundreds of pop-rivets visible to the naked eye. 2.) The original metal on each base is cut and replaced by a common drip-edge you might find at “Home Depot cd’s similar metals” verse preservation and restoration of the original metalwork reposse. 3.) Prevention of galvanic reaction: By introducing stainless steel brackets and base galvanic reaction will occur by direct contact of the dissimilar metal. 4.) Voids and Spaces The sculptures are re-mounted too far from its original position, doubling the amount of tuck pointing material. Open spaces at all mounting brackets and bases will invite weather and insect penetration, open sauder joint will invite future corrosion. | ||
Dead_monk Member Username: Dead_monk Post Number: 3 Registered: 01-2007 |
According to your photos you can not see any detail to talk the way that you are. The dents look like shadows to me. Stainless steel does not react to copper or anything else(but hey i'm not the great metal doctor, so what do i know). About how they are mounted they look flat against the corner and wall to me.  | ||
Metaldoctor Member Username: Metaldoctor Post Number: 54 Registered: 01-2007 |
You are correct your not the Metal-Doctor, but perhaps you can do what I did which involved a close-up look of the sculptures and while your there make pictures. The picture you are referring to were taking at ground-level across the street from the building. Standards containing background references and support data And Repair Procedures for the correction of material deterioration and failure Also http://w3.gsa.gov/__852565c500 543eb4.nsf?OpenDatabase http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/HPTP.N SF/02e2bfa0e29bc7dc852565cc005 90728/dd871e2628734b22852565c5 0054b5fc?OpenDocument http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/HPTP.N SF/908cfae2e890e1d7852565cc005 91125/4c2b8ab388acd455852565c5 0054b5f0?OpenDocument http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/HPTP.N SF/908cfae2e890e1d7852565cc005 91125/b3e7065dcfdd9814852565c5 0054b7b8?OpenDocument | ||
Me2007 Member Username: Me2007 Post Number: 4 Registered: 01-2007 |
These sculptures are our heritage as Detroiters. I believe he restoration of these sculpture can’t bring the beginning of a new better Detroit. Metal doctor sees to have a handle on that fact. | ||
Dead_monk Member Username: Dead_monk Post Number: 4 Registered: 01-2007 |
Thank you for the info metal doctor, have a good one. Take care and keep up the good work. | ||
Rrl Member Username: Rrl Post Number: 725 Registered: 12-2003 |
MetalDr.: Have you ever contacted the Farbman company, the owner of the County Building, to offer your services for the repair of the sculptures? Might be the place to start or at least get correct information about the status of these works. | ||
Metaldoctor Member Username: Metaldoctor Post Number: 57 Registered: 01-2007 |
but of course i did! | ||
Me2007 Member Username: Me2007 Post Number: 6 Registered: 01-2007 |
The Fardman Company is pretty big. Why aren’t they doing something about the repair of the sculptures? | ||
Metaldoctor Member Username: Metaldoctor Post Number: 65 Registered: 01-2007 |
Does anybody know what happen to the original Lincoln at the downtown library on Woodward? | ||
Jme1405 Member Username: Jme1405 Post Number: 5 Registered: 12-2004 |
Does any know whether the Morris Brose sculpture in Capitol Park is in reasonably good condition or does it need restoration? | ||
Cman710 Member Username: Cman710 Post Number: 241 Registered: 07-2006 |
Charlottepaul, are those old City Hall sculptures still there? It is an absolute travesty that the city allows its history to crumble like that. And I must say, given the absolutely awful way they have been kept, they look pretty good, considering. They really should be preserved, in one way or the other - not left to lie among weeds. | ||
Metaldoctor Member Username: Metaldoctor Post Number: 70 Registered: 01-2007 |
Thought you might like to know who created these priceless sculptures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J ._Massey_Rhind Creditable patina information: http://www.northernlightstudio .com/patinalec.php For repair information view the GSA standard guidelines. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 449 Registered: 10-2006 |
Cman710, to be quite honest, I have no idea. I simply came across the photos on flikr.com (I didn't take them) when I was trying to find some pics of Detroit to decorate my office down here in Charlotte NC. On that web site, there is the opportunity to post comments; that might be just a matter of registering or something on that site. | ||
Carptrash Member Username: Carptrash Post Number: 1448 Registered: 10-2003 |
Well I see that you found that wikipedia article on J. Massey Rhind. There was a move to toss the Wayne County Bldg. sculptures into a metal drive during WWII, but I think it was a young Marshall Fredericks who helped nix it. There's an old newspaper around here somewhere about it. Maybe under this . . ....... no? Anyway I suspect that Julius Melchers did the statues at Fort Wayne because he did the ones that ended up at WSU - La Salle and Marquette and Richard and Cadillac, I think. Should be an article on Melchers soon, esp. if I get some help from you bunch. eeeeeeek | ||
Aiw Member Username: Aiw Post Number: 6155 Registered: 10-2003 |
Carpy! | ||
Metaldoctor Member Username: Metaldoctor Post Number: 86 Registered: 01-2007 |
Please note that I did not intend to discredit, downgrade or embarrass anyone, I love Detroit and my heritage and I feel that if I don’t that the art and craftsmanship would be lost forever, therefore prompting me to post pictures and text of the problems that I see. Architectural ornamental metal work is my lifetime conviction and I stand ready for twenty years to make Detroit a better place. Again my most sincere apologies to anyone I have offended. Sincerely, The Metal-Doctor  |
