Drayton Hall Awarded 2024 Prize for Excellence and Innovation
The Decorative Arts Trust is thrilled to announce that the 2024 Prize for Excellence and Innovation will be awarded to Drayton Hall Preservation Trust in Charleston, SC, for projects to include the conservation of the plaster ceiling in the house’s Great Hall, the investigation of the plaster ceiling in the Drawing Room, and digital and in-person access to these spaces during the conservation treatment and the results of the interventions.
Drayton Hall, built 1738–50, is the earliest example of Palladian architecture in the United States. Surviving in relatively untouched condition, and displayed devoid of furnishings, Drayton Hall offers architectural historians the rare opportunity to study materials and designs from every period in the house’s history. Most rooms were finished in full paneling, painted in green with delicate carvings, elegant mantelpieces, and Classical entablatures. The ceilings are rich in plaster detailing, and there is a grand double staircase with intricate carved ornament. Drayton Hall’s decorative arts collection, displayed in an adjacent visitor’s center complex, features a variety of porcelain, tableware, and furniture illustrating the Drayton family’s status and taste through time. Archaeological investigations of the main house, dependency buildings, and surrounding plantation landscape have provided valuable insight into the lives and contributions of the enslaved Africans who lived and worked on the property for centuries, as well as the Native Americans who inhabited the land prior to English settlement.
The Preservation Department at Drayton Hall was established in 2006, but the department’s leadership in the field of historic preservation and conservation science began in the 1970s when the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) took ownership of the site, and craftspeople began stabilizing and conserving the house.
Preserving a historic structure is both an art and a science, and Drayton Hall’s work on the conservation of the decorative cast plaster ceiling in the Great Hall is an excellent example (figures 1 and 2). The present ceiling in the Great Hall is believed to be its third, probably installed in the 1860s. This historic ceiling has been a major focus of conservation efforts for decades, and it is one of the projects that has made Drayton Hall a place of leadership and innovation in the field. Earlier this year, Drayton Hall hosted a forum of preservation professionals from a variety of backgrounds and specialties to help them evaluate the data and choose the most appropriate treatment for the Great Hall ceiling. They decided to carefully disassemble the plaster ceiling, rebuild the floor system above to bring its deflection within an acceptable range, replace the field of plaster, and reinstall the decorative elements. The goal is to complete this project by the end of 2025.
Figure 1. Great Hall ceiling medallion.
Figure 2. Great Hall ceiling near stairs.
As public access and education are important priorities for both Drayton Hall and the Decorative Arts Trust’s Prize for Excellence and Innovation, Drayton Hall expects to keep the house open to visitors for the duration of the project and to offer three Prize-sponsored free admission days. Also, they plan to capture videos of preservation work in progress and to create interpretive content about the project. The experience and information gleaned from the endeavor will benefit ceiling conservation efforts at other historic structures.
Beginning in 2026, Drayton Hall will also expand investigations to include the Drawing Room ceiling (figures 3 and 4), with paint analysis, a 3D scan, ground penetrating radar (GPR), and radiography. These non-destructive technologies were previously employed for the Great Hall and will help the preservation team understand the condition of the Drawing Room ceiling and plan for its conservation. The Drawing Room was a formal space where the Draytons entertained guests with refreshments and conversation. The original hand-carved plaster ceiling is thought to be the oldest of its kind to survive in America. John Drayton drew from his deep library of architectural treatises and likely referenced these designs to help draft plans for his estate at Drayton Hall. Some of the designs in the Drawing Room can be traced to 17th- and 18th-century British architects, including John Webb, a student (and relative) of Inigo Jones.
Figure 3. Drawing Room ceiling. Photo by Willie Graham.
Figure 4. Corner of Drawing Room ceiling.
The Decorative Arts Trust Prize for Excellence and Innovation, founded in 2020, funds outstanding projects that advance the public’s appreciation of decorative art, fine art, architecture, or landscape. The Prize is awarded to a nonprofit organization in the United States for a scholarly endeavor, such as museum exhibitions, print and digital publications, conservation and preservation projects, and online databases. Past recipients include the Concord Museum, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; the Black Craftspeople Digital Archive; and Craft in America. Nominations are accepted through June 30, annually.
The Trust looks forward to following Drayton Hall’s progress on this exciting project and to sharing updates with our members.
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