City Seal Removal, Stabilization, Assessment & Restoration

The City of Ellsworth is soliciting proposals from qualified historic preservation contractors, architectural conservators, conservation firms, and appropriately qualified teams for the assessment, controlled removal, stabilization, conservation, restoration, and eventual reinstallation of the historic City Hall Seal Pediment located on the front gable of Ellsworth City Hall.

The City Hall Seal is an approximately 91-year-old, hand-carved wooden architectural relief and is a significant historic and civic feature of the City Hall building. The Seal is approximately 18 feet in length and is located approximately 30 feet above grade. The condition of the Seal is understood to be severely deteriorated, and the City intends to undertake a carefully controlled rehabilitation/restoration project consistent with accepted historic preservation practices.

Because the condition of the wood cannot be fully evaluated while the Seal remains installed and exposed to the elements, the City intends to proceed using a phased approach. The first phase will allow the Seal to be safely removed, documented, stabilized, transported, and placed in a controlled environment for drying and professional condition assessment. The findings of that assessment will inform the final conservation and restoration treatment.

The phased approach is intended to protect the historic resource while allowing the City and the Ellsworth Historic Preservation Commission (EHPC) to make informed decisions regarding the appropriate treatment of the Seal.