Just marble-ous: Colonial restoration takes architects back to the source

LACONIA — Marble is a poetic material. It was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans in sculptures, palaces, and fantastic constructions that showed authority and elegance.

At the beginning of the 20th century, its use was resumed in architectural spaces such as big houses and beautiful public and private buildings.

Such was the case with the Colonial Theatre. Articles in the Laconia Democrats and The News and Critic, another local weekly newspaper, raved about all the luxurious decorative features of the theater when it opened in 1914, including the paneling, and ornamental columns made from Vermont marble.

That mention of Vermont marble set Rob Turpin, the lead architect on the Colonial restoration project, and his colleague at the Misiaszek & Turpin architectural firm, Jared Guilmett, on a search to find the right kind of marble that would match pieces missing from the theater’s vestibule and concession area.

Their quest led them to the one working marble quarry in Vermont, located in the quiet town of Danby, in the western part of the state. The quarry, tucked inside Dorset Mountain, is the world’s largest underground quarry.

Turpin and Guilmett made the 110-mile trip to Danby a week ago in hopes of finding the right kind of marble for the missing wainscoting and pilasters.

They drove up to the quarry’s entrance, the same one that’s been in use for more than 100 years. There they pushed a button on the side of a small trailer and waited. Soon they heard a vehicle approaching the opening from inside the mine.

Guilmett said the worker outfitted them with safety gear, including a face mask, hard hat, and breathing apparatus, and they were driven by a worker into the mine.

“It was awe-inspiring to be inside the space,” Guilmett said of the cavernous interior. And he estimated that they saw perhaps just one-tenth of the quarry, which spans an area equivalent to 16 football fields, stretching for more than a mile.

When they arrived at one of the working areas they were met by Luca Mannolini, the quarry’s general manager. Turpin and Guilmett handed Mannolini a piece of marble they had brought from the Colonial.

“Luca found us a slab that is going to be perfect,” said Guilmett, who has been responsible for attending to the details to ensure the historical integrity of the Colonial project.

Guilmett, who is also an architect, said he and Turpin were impressed with the attentiveness of the quarry workers.

“They treated us like we were buying millions of dollars worth of marble,” he said.

The Vermont Marble Quarry has certainly filled its share of large orders during its history. It has been the source for marble used in some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, including the U.S. Supreme Court building and the Jefferson Memorial.

For Guilmett and Turpin, paying attention to the fine points and authenticity has been critical to the Colonial project.

“Details matter,” Guilmett said. “Finding a source of marble that matches matters, because that kind of detail is related to the human experience of the space.”

The slab of matching marble is still being processed and Guilmett hoped that it will arrive in Laconia in a couple of weeks, when workers will install the pieces as they work on the final phases of the restoration.