Introduction

From the time America struggled for a new identity as a constitutional republic--and well into the 20th century--its architecture and its decorative detailing remained firmly rooted in the European classicism of Palladio, Wren, and Mansart.

Together with skilled masons and carpenters, ornamental plasterers saw their inherited trade flourish from the mid-18th century until the Depression years of the 1930s. During this two hundred year period, as the Georgian and Federal styles yielded to the revivals--Greek, Rococo, Gothic, Renaissance, and Spanish--decorative plaster reflected each style, resulting in the wide variety of ornamentation that survives. The traditional methods of producing and installing interior decorative plaster were brought from Europe to this country intact and its practice remains virtually unchanged to this day.

Like flat walls and ceilings, historic ornamental plaster is made of gypsum and lime which are stable and durable materials. An extremely versatile material, plaster can be modeled, cast, incised, colored, stamped, or stencilled. However, as an integral part of the building system it is subject to the typical problems of water intrusion, structural movement, vibration and insensitive alterations, both incrementally and from adaptive use projects.

Ornamental plaster studios employed a variety of personnel, including sculptors who modelled in clay; casters who made production units; and finishers who cleaned the casts. Photo: Courtesy, M. Earle Felber.