Historic Preservation: Pittsburgh City Council Chambers

The Pittsburgh City Council wanted to preserve its historic Chambers. This long-term project called for the restoration of the original natural wood desks, tables, and chairs. Grimes Interiors was honored to take on the task.

Starting in 2011 and continuing through today, our team of craftsman and artisans has worked to preserve the exterior aesthetics and replace the interior structure of the pieces. The pieces will be reinstalled in the chambers, assuring their beautiful, historic integrity for generations to come.

Process

The project began with minor wood repairs and then restoration of the exterior wood to match the original finish and luster of the walls of the Council Chambers. The chairs themselves underwent extensive structural and upholstery restoration from top to bottom, including rebuilding the wooden framing of the chairs and the complicated hand-work of re-springing the 8-way tie springs and re-padding the seats to ensure durability.