Moody Mansion

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The Moody Mansion is a 27,000 square foot load-bearing masonry building with interior wood floor structure and steel support beams in some places within the wood floor framing, except for the wraparound porch floor structure, which is brick arches supported by cast iron beams. This large Richardsonian Romanesque residence designed by William Tyndall in 1892 was completed in 1895 and built out of brick and limestone with a clay tile roof. Killis Almond & Associates was contracted in 1988 to resume the restoration project after a major reorganization of the construction work. This firm supplied research, programming, design and construction coordination services. A critical-path method was used to handle all scheduling and monitoring of the budget, to assure that the project was completed in a timely fashion and that the budget was maintained. The harsh marine environment and the seasonal threat of hurricanes had to be taken into consideration during all aspects of the project. Throughout the project Killis Almond & Associates worked closely with the Museum curatorial staff and the Foundation Board to assure that the final product included all of the elements critical to the success of museum operation and the accuracy of its historic interpretive mission.

The just completed, multi-million dollar project encompassed extensive work to both the exterior and the interior of the building as well as the installation of mega, high-tech HVAC, lightning protection, security and fire suppression systems. The first and second floors of the house (the museum proper) received a strict restoration, while the basement and third floor were adaptively renovated to house systems equipment as well as museum services and staff offices. In addition to the restoration/renovation of the mansion, the project included construction of an aesthetically compatible and environmentally appropriate 6,000 square foot building to house archives and curatorial work space.

The elaborate interior finishes were heavily damaged by Hurricane Alicia in 1983. From the fragments retained and any photographs that could be found, the exquisite interiors have been painstakingly restored by a team of local craftspeople under the direction of Killis Almond & Associates. Wood paneling of native and exotic species, flat and ornamental plaster, glazed and embossed tile, a unique pallet of base colors and a rich complement of decorative treatments all work together to create one of the most sophisticated, high style interiors to be found in Texas. This wonderfully well thought out scheme was created by the New York firm of Potier and Stymus Company “one of New York’s leading cabinetmaking and decorating firms of the nineteenth century,” (David Hanks: Art and Antiques, Sept./Oct. 1982).

A great deal of research and careful handwork has gone into the restoration of these interiors. A crew of highly skilled craftspeople was assembled to repair, clean, restore and refinish an infinite variety of wood pieces and types. Where skilled carpenters patched or replaced damaged or missing elements, another crew of talented finishers followed behind to match the finish on existing, nearby woodwork. Today, it would be difficult for a visitor to pick out these non-historic additions. The entire first and second floors had to be replastered using a traditional three-coat system on wood lath. A multitude of ornamental plaster cornices, friezes and ceiling coffers had to be recast in molds made on site, in many cases from fragmentary remnants of the original. Under the close scrutiny of the Architects, the Houston firm of Tobin and Rooney, Inc., did a masterful job of replicating the original plaster work.

Historic colors and decorative treatments plaster walls, ceilings and cornices were investigated and matched. Gold leaf, Dutch gold, and aluminum leaf and bronzing powers have been carefully applied to bas relief elements which, in many cases, had long since been painted over and hidden from view. The restoration of all of these finishes on the first floor of the Mansion is truly breathtaking to behold and quite unique for the Frontier that Texas was at the time it was originally applied. The Willis-Moody Residence is the only known Potier and Stymus interior in Texas.

Historic light fixtures and bathroom fittings have all been restored and replaced or refinished according to physical evidence of their original treatment. For the first time, a historic house will accurately reflect the variety of metal finishes used during the Victorian era. Moody Mansion fixtures are variously nickel or copper plated, or brass, which has been oxidized to achieve the appropriate harmonizing effect for the spaces which they occupy. All of the light fixtures on the first and second floors of the Mansion are original, and most of the bathroom fixtures and fittings are original as well.

The project was turned over to the Foundation on January 14, 1991, and since its public opening on April 21, 1991, has had an average of 3,000 visitors per week. The continuing maintenance of the restored building is being monitored by a computerized maintenance program developed by Killis Almond & Associates.