The Restoration Studio LLC has performed refinishing work on The Wanamaker Organ on multiple occasions. We first worked on the organ console around 2009 as part of the team to perform a major refinishing of the console.

The Restoration Studio LLC then was called back in 2013 to perform an even larger and more complex project when we took on the task of refinishing what is known as "The Cage" that surrounds the organ console.

In 2014 we again were called back, this time to refinish the gold railings behind the organ.

It's always an honor to work on such a magnificent historical landmark such as The Wanamaker Organ. In this project pictorial, we refinish the grand cage that surrounds the organ. This was a huge undertaking and we couldn't have done it without the help of the Wanamaker organ staff who disassembled and installed the cage after refinishing.

Removing the cage was definitely the uneasy part of the job for me, because of all the uncertainties. I enlisted the help of the organ staff and together the cage came down in one night. Their knowledge and expertise was invaluable.

Click On Below Images To Enlarge

 Back at our studio, the work began.  The walls were no doubt the hardest item to strip and finish due the there size and weight.  They were also being refinished on both sides, even though only one side is seen. 

Below: The Restoration Studio is not a workshop that typically strips architectural painted items. We don't "dip" furniture, but it was clear to Rod that we were going to have to set up a temporary dip tank for this project. We like to keep things "in house", so we set up a small tank that allowed us to submerge the columns in stripper to aid in the removal of the many coats of paint.

Once all the stripping was completed, we could finally begin the finishing. What we found under all the paint was that the wood was well worn and in need of a lot of repairs before we could do any finishing work. Below, You can see our process on the gate column.