The Gamble House and images taken during previous restoration efforts. [Photography with thanks to the Gamble House]
The first of the three series titled “Sustainable Heroic Measures – Conservation at the Gamble House Roofline” is set to be presented at the Pasadena Museum of History on Saturday, August 5 at 10 a.m. A reception at The Gamble House will follow at 11 a.m.
At the event, Conservator John Griswold will talk about the conservation work he recently completed on the Gamble House’s third-floor roof features including the house’s iconic rafter tails, barge boards, and beam ends.
John Griswold
Griswold through Griswold Conservation Associates LLC, has been involved with the conservation work at the Gamble House since 1998.
The historic house is one of the finest examples of early 20th-century Craftsman architecture. Designed in 1908 by Pasadena architects Greene & Greene as the winter residence for David and Mary Gamble, the home is preserved with all of its original furnishings which were also designed by the architects.
The home is a National Historic Landmark.
Working to preserve The Gamble House has been a challenge for Griswold and his team.
“It contains so much furniture, artifacts… all of the things that the family had accumulated and still in its original place within the house,” said Griswold. “It’s a really unique historic house museum in that regard.”
Griswold said they did their best to preserve original materials used for the house at their recent conservation work.
“The whole philosophy really is to manage the inevitable. We want to make sure that as much of the original material can make it,” he said. “[We] just keep postponing any major replacement, major structural repairs.”
Griswold will talk more about the work he did for The Gamble House at the upcoming event. He will also discuss his approach to historic preservation as a conservator.
Additionally, he will also provide valuable insights for the future care of The Gamble House.
Tickets for the event cost $10 for members and $20 for non-members.
Click the link below to get tickets:
The second topic for the lecture series: “The Foundation and Future of Women in Preservation,” will focus on the trajectory of the careers of women engaged in historic preservation in greater Los Angeles. It will be held at the Pasadena Museum of History on September 9.
The last topic: “Gardens and Parks of Historic House Museums,” will be held virtually on October 14.
The presentation will explore the conservation and interpretation of landscapes, gardens and parks near historic houses.
Visit: https://gamblehouse.org/upcoming-events/ for more information.
