Mount Olivet Lutheran Cemetery Chapel
Plymouth, Minnesota

Mount Olivet Lutheran Cemetery Chapel, formerly the main church of the congregation, was built in 1878.  The interior is decorated with oi-on-plaster stenciled designs, hand painted calligraphic biblical quotes (scroll above altar arch) and figurative paintings (two angels).  During an extensive structural renovation, these paintings (in a much deteriorated state) were discovered under embossed tin sheeting, an interior wall covering popular in United States around 1910.

Restoration of the angels and biblical scroll (above the altar arch) sections of the mural consisted of:

• Removal of the selected plaster wall sections and reinforcing the back of each section with fiberglass
• Reinstalling the consolidated sections in their original location
• Filling cracks, holes and missing areas of plaster support and paint
• Inpainting using reversible conservation materials
• Varnishing with a UV protective art conservation varnish.

The other biblical quotes and the stenciled decoration were replicated.

The restoration project was completed in September 1990.

This project received a Historic Preservation Award in 1995, from Plymouth Historical Society, Plymouth, Minnesota.

BEFORE RESTORATION
         



AFTER RESTORATION