Condition Report and Preservation Plan for Florence Deeble's Rock Garden

Nelson, Erika; Farley, Matthew

Executive Summary: "in 2018, Erika Nelson and Matthew Farley were retained by Lucas Art and Humanities Council, Inc. to assess the existing condition of and evaluate potential treatments for the Florence Deeble Rock Garden site. Additionally, stone mason Jon Pancost provided input on materials and recommended building methods for the native stonework elements of the site. The end result of examination is a Condition Report and Preservation Plan to both record and document accumulated damage, and to provide a plan for the preservation and restoration of Florence Deeble's Rock Garden. The Rock Garden was built by local schoolteacher Florence Deeble between 1935 and 1992. Built in the backyard of her family's house, the Rock Garden is a small, intimate site create with materials available to the make, utilizing native stone, architectural and concrete block, concrete, paint, commercially produced sculptures, and assembled shells, stones, and minerals. The garden has two sections: the older (east) portion features a series of 'postcard scenes' of places visited during summer travels, an interconnected sculptural series of forms with pillow of mortar incised with hand-inscribed titles; while the later (west) portion is an homage to Lucas and its history, an assemblage of concrete and architectural block, commercially produced statuary, engraved plaques and rulers, and formed concrete title areas. Interspersed throughout the artwork are various planting areas bordered with upright rock elements and beds of rock set in concrete, with tinted concrete pathways connecting and bisecting the built environment. Similar to outdoor self-built environments throughout the country (Watts Towers in Los Angeles, numerous sculpture parks and grottos throughout Wisconsin, the Garden of Eden in Lucas), the site utilizes non-traditional building techniques that don't follow generally accepted standards or conventions. From a conservation standpoint, these sites exist somewhat outside of traditional conservation standards, with best practices drawn from formal art and architecture standards, tempered by practical application and problem solving to accommodate a site's peculiarities. Each site's ad hoc construction methods lead to the development of responsive conservation treatments. ...This plan is not a static document, rather it reflects that best practices as we know them at this time. This Preservation Plan will be submitted for peer review, utilizing of conservators in this field, to gather additional input and recommendations reflecting the ever-changing understanding of these sites and their preservation. Our guiding philosophy boils down to doing the least wrong, taking into account the nature of the site, the vision of the builder, and materials and techniques developed through peer and personal experience conserving and restoring similar sites. Again, it should be acknowledged that conservation of any outdoor art environment is not a one-time undertaking, but a proactive program of routine inspection, evaluation, and implementation of a comprehensive maintenance program. It is inevitable that this assemblage of materials will require repair and maintenance as long as it exists as an outdoor environment." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Kansas Historical Society administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P18AF00077).

Condition Report and Preservation Plan for Florence Deeble's Rock Garden

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