Work is under way to fix a sole piece of art that survived the Sons of Italy fire from early 2017.
On January 13, 2017, a two alarm fire ripped through the Sons of Italy Hall, a former carriage house in Omaha's Little Italy Neighborhood. In March, the Sons of Italy board voted to renovate the building. It is set to reopen by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the only piece to survive relatively unscathed from the fire is a mural depicting a Sicilian landscape. It was previously rescued by the Sons of Italy during the demolition of Mr. C's Steakhouse, a landmark Italian eatery that closed in September 2007.
Deborah Uhl, a painting conservator is working with the Durham Museum to remove smoke and water damage from the painting's surface that was inflicted during the fire.
"This is a fitting place for the project to take place," said Christi Janssen, the Durham's Executive Director. "Preservation is core to our mission and we're proud to assist the Sons of Italy in saving this iconic piece of the Omaha community."
Uhl is no stranger to the museum as she did the conservation work on our Great Hall murals in 2008 and the Swanson murals in 2009. She will be working Monday-Friday during museum hours and guests are welcome to stop by and see her in action. The conservation treatment is scheduled to be complete by Thanksgiving.
