Unique Volunteer Garden Restoration Effort Continues this Summer at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) May 8, 2009 -- Bronx, NY and Boulder, CO, May 1, 2009 – A highly successful all-volunteer preservation program begun at historic Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum in the Bronx’s Pelham Bay Park last summer continues this August. The goal is to complete restoration of the stone walkways in the Mansion’s elegant formal garden during the four-day workshop entitled Galleting Galore in the Garden.

Heritage Conservation Network, a Colorado-based non-profit organization, is partnering with Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum to offer this exciting, hands-on volunteer experience August 2-7, 2009. Volunteers will work with a masonry restoration expert to remove the effects of earlier repair work and fill the joints between flagstones with smaller stone pieces using a traditional technique known as galleting. The aim is to recreate the look and feel of the original 1915 design by renowned New York architects Delano & Aldrich.

“We’re very excited to be able to offer this unique volunteer preservation workshop again this summer,” says Ellen Bruzelius, the Museum’s Executive Director. “Last year’s volunteers loved the program and not only learned something about stonework restoration, they discovered a wonderful corner of the Bronx filled with beauty, culture, and history.”

The deadline to register for the workshop is July 3, 2009. To register, go to heritageconservation.net/ws-bartow-pell-2009.htm. The cost per person is US $765, which covers lodging for five nights (Sunday-Thursday), breakfast and lunch, workshop instruction and materials, and insurance. Transportation to the site is not included. The workshop schedule includes time to tour other area historic sites. A reduced fee of $175 is available for local residents who do not need lodging. Student rates are also available.

Heritage Conservation Network is a non-profit organization that supports community-based heritage conservation projects around the world. HCN’s workshops give volunteers the opportunity to give something back by helping to protect valuable cultural treasures. To learn more about HCN’s international workshops, visit HCN’s website www.heritageconservation.net.

Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum is owned by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, operated by the Bartow-Pell Conservancy, and a member of the Historic House Trust of New York City. For more information about the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum and gardens, visit www.bpmm.org.

Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum     historic preservation     masonry conservation     volunteer vacation