ST BARTHOLOMEW'S CONSERVANCY INC

DEDICATED TO HELPING RESTORE AND PRESERVE THE EXTERIOR AND GARDENS OF THE ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S SITE, A NEW YORK CITY LANDMARK SINCE 1967 AND A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK SINCE 2016, THE CONSERVANCY HAS HELPED MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO ACCELERATE THE SITE'S RESTORATION BY HELPING TO DEFRAY SOME OF THE EXPENSE OF REPAIRING ROOFS AND ROOF DRAINS, TERRACES, THE CHURCH BUILDING'S NORTH FACADE, AND THE GREAT DOME TO WHICH THE CONSERVANCY CONTRIBUTED $1.8 MILLION TO ITS RESTORATION. THE CONSERVANCY ALSO FUNDED ILLUMINATION OF THE GREAT DOME. THE FOCUS IS NOW ON THE PARK AVENUE WEST FACADE WITH THE REMARKABLE TRIPLE PORTAL DESIGNED IN 1903 BY STANFORD WHITE OF MCKIM, MEAD, AND WHITE AS A MEMORIAL TO CORNELIUS VANDERBILT II. THE BRONZE DOORS AND FRIEZES ARE EXTRAORDINARY WORKS OF ART DESIGNED AND EXECUTED BY LEADING SCULPTORS OF THEIR DAY: PHILIP MARTINY, HERBERT ADAMS, AND ANDREW O'CONNOR, WITH ADVICE AND SUPERVISION BY DANIEL CHESTER FRENCH. IN 1918 THE PORTAL WAS MOVED SECTION BY SECTION FROM THE CONGREGATION'S PREVIOUS MADISON AVENUE LOCATION AND PROVIDED THE DEFINING CONDITION FOR BERTRAM GOODHUE'S OVERALL ROMANESQUE DESIGN OF THE CHURCH BUILDING.IN 2023 THE CONSERVANCY CONTINUED THE WORK WITH CONSULTANT MATTHEW REILEY OF EXCELSIOR ART SERVICES TO COMPLETE A FULL CONSERVATION EVALUATION OF THE TRIPLE PORTAL AND RELATED ENTRYWAY OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S CHURCH. INVESTIGATIONS RANGE WIDELY FROM SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF MATERIALS TO THE ORGANIZATION OF THE TRIPLE PORTAL'S ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES, THE PORTAL'S DISPOSITION OVER THE YEARS,THE CASTING OF THE BRONZE DOORS, AND THE ORIGINS OF THE CIPOLLINO MARBLE COLUMNS. THIS WORK CULMINATED IN A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT WITH RECOMMENDED TREATMENTS FOR CONSERVATION AND PRESERVATION.THE CONSERVANCY PROVIDED FUNDING IN 2023 TOTALING $241,868 FOR OUTSIDE SERVICES FOR THE CAPITAL PROJECT TO PRESERVE / CONSERVE THE TRIPLE PORTAL OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S CHURCH. THIS INCLUDED EXCELSIOR ART SERVICES TRIPLE PORTAL INVESTIGATION $157,690; ALPHA PLATFORMS $11,750; SOCOTEC ENGINEERING/BRONZE DOORS $9,250; DIRECT DIMENSIONS $42,500 CONSERVATION LEVEL 3D SCANNING SERVICES TO DOCUMENT TRIPLE PORTAL, EXTERIOR FACADE, RELIEFS, FRIEZE, AND SCULPTURAL ELEMENTS; INTERNATIONAL BIRD CONTROL SYSTEMS (BIRDMASTER) $16,443; AND ADDITIONAL EXPENSES INCLUDING GIL GILBERT VIDEO PRODUCTION FOR TRIPLE PORTAL FILM $4,235.