Conservators complete color fresco restoration at Palo Alto's Roth Building; lower panels need further study

City staff told the Palo Alto Public Art Commission that conservators have completed restoration of the Roth Building's upper color frescoes and submitted detailed reports, while additional testing and planning are required for the lower grisaille panels.

"We brought the frescoes to the commission's attention the first time in 2016," Nadia, who led the project presentation, said during the commission's December meeting, describing the multi-year effort to conserve murals on the Roth Building at 300 Homer Avenue. She said the restoration team removed later overpaint, cleaned the surfaces, filled losses, and inpainted fragile areas using reversible methods and thorough documentation.

Nadia told commissioners the conservators completed work on the four larger color panels of the upper register and a narrow fresco over the entrance. The eight lower grisaille panels, located beneath windows and in more-exposed positions, are in significantly more fragile condition. Conservators performed detailed testing on the lower panels, including trials with new nanogel cleaning solvents supplied after consultation with a conservation scientist in Florence, Italy. Some cleaning and testing on the lower panels has been done, but staff said further analysis and a staged approach are required before full treatment and interpretation can proceed.

Staff provided financial and project-history details: the city received a one-time grant from the County of Santa Clara Parks and Recreation for $105,000 that required a 50% local match; the conservators' contract was approximately $118,000, and additional costs covered site protection, vibration monitoring, and temporary power sources during construction and conservation work.

Nadia said the conservators also issued a maintenance and care plan recommending periodic condition checks and cleaning by conservators. She said the color panels are currently in sound condition and will be monitored regularly; inpainting was performed using reversible, watercolor-based pigments matched to the original surface.

Commissioners asked about public access and security. Staff said the frescoes remain outdoors and visible at parts of the site but are behind temporary construction fencing while work concludes; there have been cameras and lighting in place and staff will coordinate on-site visits. During a construction meeting staff reported a possible soft opening next spring, but that date is still tentative.

Presenters emphasized the historic and artistic significance of the work. Staff said Victor Arnottov painted the frescoes in August 1932 for the original Palo Alto Medical Clinic; Arnottov trained in Mexico under the influence of Diego Rivera and later worked on other notable projects. Staff also noted archival research uncovered earlier conservation attempts (late 1950s, late 1960s and a larger, undocumented treatment in 1980) that helped guide the current conservators' approach.

Staff said they will continue research into archival materials, pursue additional funding sources for treatment of the lower panels, and prepare public interpretation and outreach materials to tell the frescoes' history.

The commission received the informational report; no formal action was required or taken.