For stone restoration pros, nothing is more fun than getting to problem solve on really old stone floors.
Recently we were called in to the Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts to help determine if a mosaic floor from the turn of the 20th century could be restored. The Lucy Stone Chapel was undergoing a major renovation; the walls and ceiling were being prepped for refurbishment and the team wondered if the interesting mosaic floor that had been buried beneath the carpets of the main chapel could be brought back.
Luckily for us, Boston Stone Restoration was then contracted to remove the glue and debris that remained after the carpet was ripped out, then restore and polish the original marble mosaic flooring to a high shine.
The neoclassical style floor had a beautiful border and small inserts throughout to create an elegant stone pattern. Various cracks and chips were also repaired. The chapel had stunning woodwork and painting so Boston Stone Restoration ensured superior protection to the surrounding surfaces before we started work. First we had to grind the floor to remove all the carpet adhesive. Then we filled in the chips and fractures. Lastly we polished the floor up to a high, glossy shine. The end result speaks for itself.
According to the Forest Hills Educational Trust, on this site in 1893, the Dorchester resident and women’s rights advocate Lucy Stone was the first person cremated in New England. Lucy Stone (1818-1893) was a leader of the national women’s rights movement and referred to as “the morning star of the woman’s rights movement.” She was an organizer of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, the first Massachusetts woman to receive a college degree (Oberlin College in 1838,) the first married woman to keep her own name, and the founder and editor of the Women’s Journal. Her cremation was done at the then Massachusetts Cremation Society, now the Forest Hills Crematorium, where her ashes still rest in a large urn mingled with those of her husband and daughter on site.
See our before and after photos:
