Featured Project: Historic Interiors
Glen Fern
Wissahickon Valley Park
Livezey Lane
Historic Interior Restoration, 2007-2008
A small 1-1/2 story building on this site was purchased by Thomas Livesey in 1747. During the next 50 years he enlarged and expanded the residence at least fourfold. By 1760 Livezey had constructed what became the principal living space and the main entry to the house.
In 2008, the Fairmount Park Trust reviewed paint data that was gathered some years earlier by students of the University of Pennsylvania. Using this data and dozens of samples collected and analyzed by the Trust a coherent refinishing plan was embarked upon. The paint on all of the woodwork was removed chemically and the surface was prepped for repainting. To authenticate the original look of the interior trim, paints were chosen and modified from a palette of colors available from a Scandinavian paint manufacturer. The paints are manufactured in much the same way that paint would have been manufactured in the 18th century, using only linseed oil and dry pigment. The walls were coated with a flat paint simulating whitewash while the floor was covered with a more durable floor paint in a color that was common at that time of the original construction.
