Reversal of Opinion: Removing a Decades-Old Restoration

Hotel de Paris was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service in 1970.  Properties on this prestigious inventory are not required to undergo renovation; however, if repairs or improvements are conducted they are guided by The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.  The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of Colorado, owners and operators of the site, chose Restoration as a treatment encouraged by the NPS as “…accurately depicting the form, features, and character of the property as it appeared at a particular period of time…”  We refer to our period of significance as the “Louis Dupuy era” (1875-1900).

Room 14 (Study) with acanthus frieze.

Impact of the Bicentennial

With the approach of the United States Bicentennial in 1976, the early 1970s was a time marked by fundraising and renovation projects.  Plaster, paint, carpeting, and wallpaper were identified as critical priorities for the anticipated onslaught of heritage travelers in numbers never before seen.  American television journalist  Charles Kuralt set the scene in advance when he featured Georgetown, Colorado and Hotel de Paris in On the Road, a segment on CBS Evening News. 

The hand-blocked frieze has variations.
Hotel de Paris Museum.

An Artist's Interest and Talent

Because of the worn condition of the original paper, a custom reproduction was commissioned to create a physically and visually compatible replacement that reflected the original in design, colors, texture, and material.  The intent was to improve the appearance of the border without creating a false sense of history.  To practice Preservation, the original acanthus leaf wallpaper border was left in other parts of the hotel, which allowed an opportunity to compare preserved examples to the reproduction.

Jack Riddle recreated an 1880s frieze.

Denver native John “Jack” Ray Riddle (1932-2009), an artist with a degree in Graphic Art from Denver University, was chosen for the project.  Jack owned art studios in Denver and was familiar with Hotel de Paris through his family’s involvement in its museum operation (his mother Ellen Riddle was a member of the NSCDA in CO and chairman of the Hotel de Paris Museum committee).  Jack’s skills enabled him to copy the hotel’s acanthus leaf pattern and have it printed.  He used a silk-screening technique, which required great delicacy and time.  Layer after layer of color was hand screened onto smooth, white border paper manufactured by Weyerhaeuser Company.  Fortunately, Jack had the foresight to order extra wallpaper border.  It is this backstock that allowed us to conduct recent repairs.

Reversible Change

Fast-forward to the early 2020s, when failure of wallpaper paste lead to an unexpected discovery; a portion of Louis Dupuy's original frieze in Room 14 (Study) remained in a good condtion.  Therefore, it would become an example of reversible change.

1880s, 1970s, and 2020s at a crossroad.

A side-by-side comparison of
reproduction to original is now possible.

Steps included:

• Defining scope of work, including decision to reverse previous restoration efforts
• Carefully removing reproduction wall paper frieze
• Assessing condition of original wall paper frieze
• Cleaning original wall paper frieze with dry erasers
• Patching unsalvageable top edge of original with reproduction wall paper
• Re-installing reproduction wall paper frieze, with care taken to match the design repeat
• Casting and painting moldings where ceiling trim and picture railings were missing

Dry erasers were used to remove
decades of dust and cigar smoke.

Surviving moldings were used
to reproduce missing pieces.

New cast elements were color matched to
existing examples and used to fill voids.

A Leading Firm

Today, more is known about the manufacturer of the hotel’s wallpaper frieze.  A fragment of a second pattern is kept in the museum’s archives.  Although the top edge of the sample is partial, one can distinguish the words “STANDARD. WALL PAPER CO”.  The company’s line of papers “was comprehensive enough to meet the demands of the most exacting buyer.”  Assuming Louis Dupuy maintained brand loyalty, the acanthus leaf border may also have been produced sometime in the 1880s by this New York company, reputed to be the largest maker of wall papers in the world.

Standard Wall Paper Company, New York.

Medallion frieze by Standard Wall Paper Company.
Hotel de Paris Museum.

Future Restorations

The machine-printed medallion design by Standard Wall Paper Company in burgundy, pale yellow, terra cotta, beige, and dark blue with gold and green metallic outlines of gilt dust on a graduated green background can be seen in historic photographic images of Sample Room 2 and Guest Room 5 at Hotel de Paris.  A future reproduction of this pattern will enable a more accurate interpretation of these rooms (the acanthus leaf pattern replaced the medallion pattern in the 1970s).  Further investigations and discoveries could even expand this list of locations and aid in further fact-based restoration projects at Louis Dupuy’s Hotel de Paris.

Sample Room 2 with medallion frieze.
Hotel de Paris Museum.

Room 5 with medallion frieze.
Farm Security Administration, 1939.