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Restored Mason Monterey Paddle-arm + Ottoman Oregon Caves NM
This page discusses the issues surrounding the restoration of the Mason Monterey Paddle-arm Chair + Ottoman, to be used again in the Chateau.
Many of the pieces were damaged in the flood of 1964, when a warm rain melted the ice pack and water poured through the Chateau, crashing through windows, taking the many pieces on a water ride into the canyon, damaging frames and stripping them of their original finish. It is probable that this Paddlearm was damaged in the flood. The finish exhibited tell-tale water damage, and the cushions had a new show cover. One cushion was missing.
Because of the requirements for use in a hotel, those pieces destined for the floor of the Chateau were treated outside the parameters of strict conservation techniques, as they had to withstand daily use for another half-century. They were restored using conservation techniques and traditional materials appropriate to Mason's original methods and intent.
The frames were repaired utilizing appropriate conservation and age-related techniques.
One of the biggest challenges facing us was the reparation of the Paddlearm Chair. Unfortunately, this chair was not designed with Mason's usual forged steel straps and supports. 
Over the years, the arms had blown out and broken many times, and the repairs performed, while well-intentioned, did not solve the problem, and often were done with whatever screws the hotel staff had on hand, top left, which further degraded the structural viability of the arm connections. The chair had to be strong enough that someone throwing their leg over the arm would not break the arm again (previous breaks shown above left and right.)
Our solution was to provide straps in the manner that Mason added in later Paddlearms. Stephen Gossett was brought on board, left, to create two arm supports and two angled back supports in the manner that Mason would have done, complete with the dings and raw angles, right.
Once completed, they were painted as we imagined Mason might have, using other paddlearms of various designs as a clue toward painting the new structural supports a brightly colored Spanish Red.
These supports provide a bit of whimsy to the chair, which MPFC believes was an early model, which we surmise is the reasons why the strapping was not provided in Mason's design. We don't see many of these models circulating, and it may be because the arms were not as strong as the later paddlearms, all of which had supports.
The finish was cleaned and restored with a glaze to protect; that glaze was made and applied in keeping with the original finish, which was badly damaged, left. 
In most cases the stuffings in upholstered items were beyond cleaning and reutilization, and so new cushions were made; however, parts of these cushions we utilized. The new upholstery show cover and the creation of new cushions were all restorative, and were done in alignment with Mason's techniques and intent.
We used a red, analine-dyed, waxed Napa Leather from Hide House as the primary show cover. An Andrew Martin fabric from Kravet/Lee Jofa was the complimenting woven fabric, in a pattern reminiscent of Mason.
The Paddle-arm and Ottoman will normally be displayed as shown left; however, the underside fabric is quite beautiful and can be shown also, right.
RESUME FOR THE MASON MONTEREY
CHAIR +
OTTOMAN
Note: We are interested in obtaining broken down
Mason
Monterey
(or other brands in the genre) to repair and possibly restore.
Other pages:
- Museum Collection;
- Robert Gamblin's assistance in the restoration and color determination
- Chateau Collection, for reuse in the hotel;
- A-Frame Dining Chairs, which we felt deserved a special page
- Painting the Decorative Elements on the A-Frames
- Paddle-arm Chair
- The Portland showing of the collection;
- Delivery Day at the Oregon Caves!
- and finally, the Oregonian wrote an article on the Collection:"Portland's MPF Conservation team's work shines in the Mason Monterey collection at the Oregon Caves"
We offer a free one hour assessment in your home or office
toward the restoration of your antique, contact us for an appointment.
Contact Information
dkatiepowell [@] aol.com / mitchellrpowell {@} aol.com
So sorry, but we got too much spam -- copy and remove the spaces and []!
503.970.2509 / 541.531.2383
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