Work was being done at the Scripps Mansion lately as a wrought iron gate was taken out for repair.
The gate, which has been credited as a Samuel Yellin work, is around 80 years old. It was deteriorating from age, and was also hit by a tree branch during a storm furthering the damage.
According to Leslie Pielack, executive director and curator of Scripps Mansion, the gate will be prepared by Charles Robert ‘Bob? Becker of White Horse Forge, a Samuel Yellin expert who has been doing iron work for over 25 years.
Some of the gate will be gently sandblasted, primed and repainted, and the parts that are too badly damaged will be remade.
According to Pielack, the parts that are remade will be done with a hammer, anvil and furnace, similar to how they were initially created.
‘The project will take all winter to complete,? Pielack said, noting that they are hoping to set up times where the public can go and see the repairs being done.
She added that the gate will be replaced next spring/summer, and the project was funded partially by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, as well as by local fundraising.