California State Senate Chamber

ARG Conservation Services (ARG/CS) was contracted by the Senate Facilities of the State of California, to perform a conditions assessment and conduct conservation repairs on the interior woodwork of the California State Senate Chamber. The California State Senate Chamber seats its forty members in a large chamber room decorated in red finishes and furnishings. There are five round decorative solid wood panels along the front of the main central desk in the assembly room (located in front of the podium), consisting of four rosette panels that flank a central panel with carved details and the word “Eureka.”

The proposed scope included re-setting lifting veneers, filling cracks with a compatible material, and in-painting fills to match the existing wood finish. All surfaces were lightly cleaned. Injection repairs were required to re-set cracked and lifted veneers. All materials selected for treatments complied with low VOC standards for the building. Treatments were carried out in accordance with OSHA standards and with the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Work’s Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice.