Parma Conservation

02/25/2026

During the award-winning renovation of Chicago's historic Lawson House—a stunning 1931 Art Deco landmark recently honored for its preservation efforts—The Walsh Group - Walsh Construction & Archer Western reached out to Parma Conservation for assistance with severely water-damaged Art Deco ceiling panels in the chapel.

While this wasn't traditional conservation work, it was incredibly rewarding to meticulously replicate the original 1931 panels, preserving the building's architectural integrity for future generations.

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the replication process:

04/03/2024

Love these murals!

02/08/2024

12/24/2023

Honored to round out the year with a presentation of our work at Fourth Presbyterian Church - Chicago. Merry Christmas from PARMA. Enjoy!

“Conserving Historic Murals by Frederic Clay Bartlett; A Primer in Art Conservation”

Learn of the challenges, techniques and desired results of mural conservation in an architectural setting. Attendees will see examples that illustrate the sc...

12/13/2023

Kudos to Fourth Presbyterian Church - Chicago for inviting us! This was a very satisfying project. We’ll post the zoom recorded talk as soon as it is ready. Thank you !!

In September Parma Conservation undertook restoration work on the Sanctuary ceiling murals that were painted over the North Balcony by Frederic C. Bartlett in the winter of 1913–1914. This Sunday come hear from that team as they share with us the challenges, techniques, science, and desired results of art conservation in an architectural setting.

Sun., Dec. 10 | 11:00 am in Borwell Dining Room and via Zoom
For Zoom link, register at www.bit.ly/aebartlett

10/21/2023

What better soundtrack to our work than the live, spooky tones of a church pipe organ? 🦇

Conservation of Frederic Clay Bartlett’s 1914 ceiling murals (North Bay 2) at Fourth Presbyterian Church - Chicago.

07/29/2023

Once they removed the oxidized resin and grime from the wall, Kendall says, “It was like Christmas every day. Those angel faces are painted exquisitely.” She admits she was a little sad when the scaffolding came down. “We’ll never be that close to those angels again.”

Long under the radar, Chicago's Second Presbyterian Church is reclaiming its role as one of the city's major architectural gems thanks to restorations to its striking stained-glass windows and Arts and Crafts interior.

03/18/2023

Check out this ART ACQUISITION AND CARE presentation hosted by DIASPORAL RHYTHMS. For more information and RSVP go to DIASPORALRHYTHMS.ORG/ARTSMART

02/05/2023

Parma’s first Tiktok. OMG WOW 😃

Brush Coat Preservation Varnish. "L'eternelle Pomme d'Eve" Achille Fould. Mozart Piano Concerto no. 21 in C.

01/06/2023

Proud of our team for bringing this Chicago gem back to life. Happy Friday!

After more than 100 years, the vibrancy of the windows and the mural were hidden by dirt, leading supporters of the church to embark on a campaign to restore the artistic treasures to their original glory.