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The paint restoration artist working on Albany's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception compares the building to a grandmother - an ageless woman whose flaws we accept.

"They age very gracefully, these types of buildings," said Jed Ellis of EverGreene Architectural Arts in New York City regarding the 158-year-old sanctuary. "We don't get to see it when it was a good-looking teenager and in its 20s; we see it when it's Grandma."

The paint and plaster work on the cathedral comprises about 20 to 25 percent of an estimated $6 million interior restoration effort, which began in March 2009 and is slated to end this spring.

Mr. Ellis is big on personifying the buildings he paints; he refers to them as his children, adding that they "like" him because they know he's there to improve them.

"These buildings can't speak for themselves, so we're their caretakers," he explained.

Brand-old building
It's this mentality that drives Mr. Ellis' work on the 62-foot-high cathedral, which was last painted in 1946. His goal was to preserve the original sandstone color scheme and Gothic style of the building's interior.

"The building itself is so strong and powerful that the paint just enhances the design," Mr. Ellis said.

The artist came to Albany in May and spent a day sitting in the sanctuary, letting the building speak to him. He called the first few weeks a "period of trust," a time to show the Diocese what he can do.

He took more than 50 paint samples, an unusually high number, and sent them back to his office in an effort to determine the original color scheme.

The result, achieved by Mr. Ellis and a team of nine local union painters this fall, is a warm terra-cotta color that preserves the stone effect and sense of grandeur, said cathedral rector Rev. William Pape.

"Now, [visitors] will still be embraced, but it will be a much more welcoming embrace because of the color," said Father Pape. Indeed, the new scheme stands in contrast to the muddy tones formerly blanketing the walls.

Mr. Ellis calls it a "brand-old" look: The paint is fresh, but it doesn't look fresh. The visitor will notice something is different, but will need to look at the small details to truly understand.

"These are tough buildings to maintain and take care of and deal with," the artist said. "A lot of times, less is more."

Modern Michelangelo
Mr. Ellis' talent has inspired the crew to call him "Jedangelo." His experience inspires them to call him "Dad."

He got started in the paint restoration business in between his junior and senior years of high school 35 years ago. He had hitchhiked his way from Connecticut to Cleveland to visit his college-aged sister, who suggested he look for summer work at the historic Playhouse Square theaters, which were in disrepair.

He started as building manager and later worked nights restoring the paint in the lobby, where he asked the audience for re-storation do-nations during performance intermissions.

Mr. Ellis finished high school in Con-necticut, came back to Cleveland and started traveling to different restoration projects with a mentor. He met Jeff Greene, EverGreene president, while restoring the Cleveland Terminal Tower and started at the company in 1987.

Presidents and prelates
He has worked alongside the architect appointed by then-President Richard Nixon to restore the Library of Congress corridors and presidential reading rooms. He worked on the Tennessee state capitol building, the Wilshire Theatre in Los Angeles and the $60 million restoration of the Granada Theater in Santa Barbara, Calif. A Florida resident since 1990, he has restored about 20 movie palaces and has done work in 36 states.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the official seat or church of Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, is the largest cathedral Mr. Ellis has worked on, and he said he is stunned by the results.

"What we did was right," he stated. "We've done something right, as opposed to just coming in and plopping a coat of paint on it."

Exterior renovation on the 19,700-square-foot cathedral began in 2004 and cost $12 million. The third phase - work on the front steps, doorways and wall surfaces - will cost an estimated $1.2 million.

To donate toward the restoration, call 453-6657 or visit www. RestoreTheCathedral.org.

01/14/10 [[In-content Ad]]

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