MAJESTIC MASTERPIECE

MajesticMasterpiece

It’s all in the details: The artistic restoration of Mar-a-Lago’s timeless architectural details is a labor of love

BY MARY THURMAN YUHAS

When The Mar-a-Lago Club closes in May and members disperse for summer, the grand dame’s caretakers arrive to ensure the 95-year-old landmark remains as elegant as she is during season. While maintenance and pampering continually unfold behind the scenes, restoration director Karl Spencer rolls up his sleeves during Palm Beach’s steamy summer months to focus on the preservation of details large and small within the elegant 65,000-square-foot, crescentshaped mansion.

Take a tour of stunning architectural details that Spencer and his longtime assistant, Harold Johnston, have worked tirelessly to repair and restore.

JERRY RABINOWITZ SCOTT ERB & DONNA DUFAULT ERB PHOTOGRAPHY Gold leaf was imported from Europe to meet the original design specifications.

Opposite page: Mar-a-Lago as it stands today.

SCOTT ERB & DONNA DUFAULT ERB PHOTOGRAPHY

EXTERIOR DORIA STONE COLUMNS

According to the official history of Mar-a-Lago, three boatloads of Doria stone were brought from Genoa, Italy, because of the stone’s “quality of aging rapidly and for its adaptability to intricate carving.” It was put into extensive use throughout the property.

Approximately 20 of the 28 exterior Doria stone columns had fractures. Nearly all of the hovering mourning doves intertwined above the acanthus leaves at the columns’ carved square bases were broken or missing features. Spencer undertook the preferred method of masonry repair: an epoxy structural crack injection system followed by another epoxy material that was artistically manipulated to match the original stone surface. Applied masonry pigments simulate the natural Doria stone color. Approximately 30 birds were replicated with durable hydrostone gypsum cement and painted earth-tone hues.

Clockwise from left: A detail of a Doria stone column; delicate handiwork; restored antique Spanish-tiled archway and columns

FROM ENGLAND TO PALM BEACH 

Born in Norwich, England, Spencer shared his father’s love of antiques and historical buildings and landmarks from an early age. He frequently accompanied his dad on daytrips and together they admired England’s rich architectural tapestry. “My father was a medical doctor, but he was good with his hands, too,” Spencer explains. “When he came home at night, he was a carpenter.”

Spencer spent most of his five-year-apprenticeship in architectural restoration in England, where he studied and trained under esteemed artisans and craftsmen before traveling to France and Italy to increase his knowledge of OldWorld techniques. He went on to learn the art of gilding and gained first-hand experience restoring antique furniture and mirrors, working his way up to much larger projects, including cathedrals and a Medieval castle.

In 1995, the preservationist traveled to New York City and decided to stay, seeing vast potential in the abundance of historic buildings in need of his magic touch. Spencer worked on several significant buildings in the Big Apple: The Dakota, constructed in 1884; the 1841 Church of the Ascension NYC; The Riverside Church, a Gothic gem conceived and funded by John D. Rockefeller; and numerous Manhattan brownstones. Some of his famous New York clients included Lauren Bacall, Warner Leroy (former owner of Tavern on the Green and The Russian Tea Room), Paul Newman, Yoko Ono, and Vera Wang.

In 2015, Spencer began his tenure at Mar-a-Lago, which translates from Spanish as “sea to lake.” It was so named by Marjorie Merriweather Post (then Mrs. E.F. Hutton), who keenly oversaw its four-year construction and took residence in January 1927. Damaged from wear and South Florida elements, Spencer had his work cut out for him as he set about to repair and restore the 114-room villa to its original glory.

“Mar-a-Lago was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It is a jewel. I bring it back to how it looked 100 years ago,” he explains. “You have to know how to do it correctly. I use a magnifying glass to ensure everything I restore is as close as possible to its original appearance. I love my work and am so fortunate to work at Mar-a-Lago.”

During construction in the 1920s, cypress wood for doors and beams was purchased locally, but Italian stone and Spanish tiles, some dating to the 15th century, were brought in specifically for the project.

Opposite page: The interior features so much gold that one of the original designers, gilder and muralist Wiley Haynes, exhausted American sources and had to get more of the precious metal from Europe. His work is as prominent today as it was then.

OWNER'S SUITE

The cloister to the owner’s suite has a barrel-vaulted ceiling with a gilded rope molding. Inside, walls are Doria stone (shell- and fossil-bearing limestone) adorned with antique Spanish tile. The entry steps have Spanish mosque tiles on the stair risers. (For her “cottage by the sea,” Post acquired some 36,000 tiles from an esteemed collection with the earliest tiles dating to the fifteenth century.) Following painstaking planning and preparation, repairs, replacements, goldleaf applications, and faux painting, the majestic space was restored to its original stature.

LIVING ROOM CEILING

For four weeks, four hours a day, Spencer and Johnston toiled on the 42-foot-high ceiling while hoisted high in the air. Missing decorative elements were replicated using an impression silicone mold, then matching gold leaf was applied to enhance existing details. “It was not hard to stay up there when you are doing what you love,” Spencer says.

THE WHITE & GOLD BALLROOM PARQUET FLOOR

Square dances held in the ballroom by Post were once the hottest ticket in town. Restorative measures brought out the distinctive grains of the three woods—big oak, cherry, and poplar—comprising the parquet flooring.

SCOTT ERB & DONNA DUFAULT ERB PHOTOGRAPHY

CHILDREN’S SUITE

Post’s youngest daughter, the late Vogue model and actress Dina Merrill, grew up at Mar-a-Lago, where she had her own suite. Time got the upper hand on the original hand-painted, floral bas-relief covering the beehive fireplace and spreading into the sleeping area. It could not be salvaged, so Spencer replaced it with hand-fabricated flowers and original artwork featuring fairy-tale motifs based on illustrations by mansion interior designer Joseph Urban.

JERRY RABINOWITZ

CLOISTER

Nowhere is Post’s love of parrots more apparent than in the cloister—the wide, covered walkway that extends alongside the house. Parrots can be seen on the fountains, the bases of columns, and throughout the grand estate. Before Post moved into her beloved seaside retreat, it has been said that she had a family of parrots set free on the grounds with hopes they would remain indefinitely.

When Spencer arrived, birds and parrots adorning the cloister walkway were visibly distressed and showed signs of discoloration and peeled paint. Others were broken. To resolve the problem, Spencer created casts of the statuary and categorized them, ensuring future replications will be historically accurate and easier to reproduce.

CLOISTER WALKWAY FLOORING

To bring the flooring back to its original state, a cast was created to recreate its white ceramic inserts. The inserts’ strong Moorish influence is apparent in the recreated, decorative clay flooring detail. The black Doria stone was refurbished by chemically stripping before topping with a clear, protective coating.

Years of wear and weathering left the open patio’s black-and-yellow geometric stars indefinable. The design is similar to a courtyard in Alhambra, Spain, that Post wanted to emulate. Removing the top surface sealer coat brought out the bold design. Next, the patio was cleaned and etched before being topped with a weather-resistant, protective coating.

CLOISTER EXTERIOR PATIO

SCOTT ERB & DONNA DUFAULT ERB PHOTOGRAPHY