Painters Share Challenges, Discoveries of Work at Historic Museum Building
By Karen Gould

Rich Reichlin leans out of a slot in the birch bark Huron longhouse inside the Museum of Ojibwa Culture to scrape paint from window trim. Painters are unable to move the longhouse, so painting the wall, window, ceiling, and floor nearby will be a few of the challenges of the project.

The tin ceiling is peeling and the cracked walls have undergone years of repair, yet Rich Reichlin, who is painting the interior of the 171-yearold building that houses the Museum of Ojibwa Culture in St. Ignace, calls the demanding work "fun." The six-week, $17,990 project already has uncovered a hidden window boarded up years ago.

Mr. Reichlin and his assistant, Joe Capman, walked into the former Catholic church two weeks ago. The city-owned museum is managed by the Downtown Development Authority.

Starting at the front of the museum, the men removed a wood panel above the doorway and found an arched transom window. Some of the plate glass remains intact, while other pieces are cracked or missing. The black-painted frame separates pieces of windowpane. From the outside, a museum sign covers the transom opening.

For now, Mr. Reichlin plans to remove the broken glass and leave the transom visible. The discovery, he said, is part of his job of taking a building that needs care, and refurbishing it, while still retaining the character of the structure.

Barely visible under the entryway roof is the arch of the transom window uncovered recently during painting preparation work. The center window also is no longer visible on the face of the current building. This early postcard is entitled "Old Catholic Church, St. Ignace, Mich." and was printed for Mulcrone's Bazaar. (Postcard courtesy of Phyllis Massey)

 

"It's a fun job," he said. "It's a challenge, but it's a fun challenge."

The renovation includes moving the gift shop from the Chamber of Commerce building next door to the front of the museum. With work scheduled to begin on the new shop area in a week, the painters will complete the front section of the museum from ceiling to floor first. The white tin ceiling in the area already has been scraped, primed, and given a fresh coat of gold-toned paint.

Painter Rich Reichlin of Cedarville removes broken glass from a transom window at the Museum of Ojibwa Culture in St. Ignace Tuesday, February 26. Mr. Reichlin and Joe Capman (not pictured) discovered the window hidden behind a panel during their painting preparation work on the inside of the National Landmark building.

The ceiling, said Mr. Reichlin, is in better shape than originally thought, with only a few spots of rust.

Constructed in 1837, the building's window frames are coated with layers of old paint, which will be sanded off. The men will make the nailed-shut windows usable again and paint the frames white. Dark green paint will cover the floor and two shades of green paint will be used on the walls.

"The walls have been the biggest challenge," he said. "They are an uneven mixture of plaster and drywall, and just a lot of old patches that aren't smooth."

The painters will use drywall joint compound to smooth the walls. Paint will mask the shiny electrical conduit connected to ceiling fixtures and display lights.

Beach sand, rocks, and fixed backdrops make it necessary for the two men to work around many of the museum's displays. They have wrapped some of them in protective plastic and will be using drop clothes to cover others.

Painting the ceiling above the Huron longhouse will require scaffolding and the construction of a stage over its roof. The sides of the 23-foot by 10-foot structure are built over a short wall, so moving it is not an option. There is little room to work between the birch bark building and the museum wall.

"It's a little more of a challenge than having an open space," he said. "To me, it is not really all that complicated. It's a pleasant place to work. The light and the windows are fantastic."

The project is expected to be completed by the end of March.