Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Sandra Hutchinson, Chronicle Chief Operating Officer
The Sembrich Museum in Bolton Landing has just completed restoration of 11 historic lighting fixtures that are original to the lakeside summer teaching studio of famed opera soprano Marcella Sembrich, now a museum.
The studio was built in 1923-24 by the Schermerhorn Construction Company, based in Lake George Village.
Madame Sembrich provided private instruction at the studio beginning in the summer of 1925. She died in 1935.
In preparation for the building’s upcoming centennial, the Sembrich board decided to restore the roof and the electrical and HVAC systems, said Suzanna Bernd, Sembrich’s Executive Director.
Inside, another goal was “to tenderly and carefully restore the lights that are the historical fixtures to make sure they are around for the next hundred years for people to enjoy,” she told The Chronicle.
Ms. Bernd said the metal fixtures were “dark, rusty and bubbly,” and some of the paint or enamel on the surface had chipped off. Painted gold decorative features had faded away.
There are wrought iron interior chandeliers and wall sconces, two tall wooden candle fixtures that are displayed on the mantel, and coated metal fixtures with glass, two of which were originally exterior porch fixtures but are now inside because the porches were enclosed.
Savage Metal Restoration of Austerlitz, N.Y. did the work. During the restoration, they determined that some of the dimensional leaves on the chandeliers, which appeared black, were originally green.
The fixtures now reflect the original colors. Ms. Bernd says they “just look fabulous.”
Caleb Eick, the Sembrich’s Director of Outreach, did research for the restoration. He said a contemporaneous newspaper report said some of the studio’s furnishings were supplied through Wil-marth and Son, a Glens Falls furniture store. It is not clear whether the lighting fixtures were acquired there. (The Wil-marth store was located at 15-17 Ridge St., the current home of The Chronicle.)
The Sembrich is also updating all the studio lighting to LED.
Madame Sembrich, born in Poland, was an international opera star, principally at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and Royal Opera House in London.
The Sembrich Museum maintains the studio building and artifacts of Madame Sembrich, relates her story and presents a busy summer schedule of concerts, films, lectures and more. The property has a panoramic view of Lake George.
The Sembrich will reopen for the season on Memorial Day weekend, with a grand reopening planned for July.
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