louis h. sullivan-designed cyrus mccormick grille restoration completed

i was pleasantly surprised to learn that the original bronze plating was largely intact under a botched restoration or rather, a unsympathetic and careless remuddling applied to the louis h. sulllivan-designed cyrus mccormick radiator grille's surface over 30 years ago.

i knew when i purchased the mccormick mansion radiator grille that repair work would be required to make it presentable, which included the removal of the rather unusual and oddly colored finish that made the grille look quite dull and the casting detail flat and overly two-dimensional.

enter mike gruczca, who's incredible expertise and experience restoring, repairing and reassembling numerous louis h. sullivan artifacts, transformed the grille, by painstakingly recapturing and refurbishing the plating, that not only enhanced the overall clarity of the casting, but made these intricate design elements "pop" with added dimension and/or accent.

gruczca  was brought aboard for the notable work he has done with similar materials such as the fabrication of truly remarkable and faithful recastings of midway garden sprites from originals that were crumbling apart. he was also spearheaded the assembly and installation of the chicago stock exchange (adler and sullivan, 1894) interior elevator enclosure currently on display at the seattle art museum. the plaster castings executed for the heller house renovation in hyde park is equally impressive. the list goes on.

the series of "before and after" images of the mccormick grille restoration speak for themselves...