Landmark Fires: Reconstruction & What Art Collectors Can Learn From It
by Casey Wigglesworth, Assistant Vice President, Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency, Inc.
On April 15, 2019 the world watched in shock as a structure fire broke out beneath the roof of the 859 year old Notre Dame cathedral. This cathedral’s spire, one of the most recognizable sights in Paris, was destroyed by fire. Additionally, the roof collapsed, and the fallen debris led to damage on the altar. According to French officials, the main works of art were saved, but others have been lost or seriously damaged. Read more.
Similar to the Notre Dame cathedral, in 2018 the world watched in horror as Brazil’s 200-year-old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro became engulfed in flames. Countless artifacts – estimated to a number in the millions - were forever lost, and the building was leveled in a true worst-case scenario.
In 2016, both the building and the entire collection of The National Museum of Natural History, located in New Delhi, India were completely destroyed by fire. The cause of this fire is still unknown and it is possible that destruction was worsened by the building's sprinkler and pump system being out of order.
For both the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro and The National Museum of Natural History in New Delhi, true or complete restoration may be unachievable. However, for Notre Dame, the possibility of landmark restoration is not only imaginable but now passed into law. While the situation is evolving, the French Senate recently approved a bill to see that the building would be restored before the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The Landmark Restoration Process
Large scale and small scale restoration projects vary greatly case to case, and loss to loss. In most cases, the ultimate goal of restoration is to bring the building back to its pre-loss condition with nothing added or changed. Careful steps are taken to ensure a seamless renovation. However, with significant damages comes the unlikely opportunity to evaluate the current construction materials and design of a damaged building and possibly make changes or upgrades to building and construction materials that are especially vulnerable to loss – like timber framed roofs – during the restoration project. The French law directing the Notre Dame restoration requires that the restoration work must "preserve the historic, artistic and architectural interest of the monument,” a directive met with both praise and criticism.
The process to restore a building after a devastating fire begins with a review by a structural engineering firm to determine if the building is safe to enter, safe for workers, and safe for any ensuing construction. Often scaffolding and building wall supports are the first things to go up at a restoration site in order to secure the site. These temporary supports help to prevent further damage to the building, and any art or artifacts housed in the building that can’t be safely removed from collapse. The building also has to be safe for the workers. With Notre Dame, it has been reported that tons of lead in the roof melted in the fire causing work on the cathedral to be temporarily halted. The melted lead presents both significant environmental and pollutant hazard which needed to be remedied in order for work to resume.
The length of the restoration process depends greatly on how badly the building was damaged. For the most part, cosmetic damages can be repaired quickly, whereas large scale restoration projects can be delayed for a variety of reasons, including subsequent damages due to an unsafe or unsecured building, weather risks that can’t be controlled, and limited, lacking, or non-existent financial resources. In some cases, desired building materials needed to maintain specific stylistic characteristics of an historic building may be hard to find or to successfully recreate, which can cause delays for the entire restoration process.
The Importance of Creating a Fire Protection Plan
Nearly six months after the Notre Dame fire, and in anticipation of the annual late summer wildfire season in the U.S., it is worth gleaning best practices for museums and collectors alike on how to keep art safe from fire risk. This is especially important as the threat of wildfires, which can greatly impact private collectors, intensifies. Case in point, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, there were 71,499 wildfires in 2017, compared to 65,575 wildfires in 2016. Additionally, the amount of acres burned in 2017, about 10 million acres, was higher than the 10-year average.
Here are some things to keep in mind for art collectors with collections of all sizes:
- Fire detection and suppression systems are critically important. Mechanical, fire and security prevention programs should be properly monitored and maintained.
- Museums housed in older, historic building should have their electrical systems tested and possibly updated by licensed, experienced professional electricians if it’s deemed that it’s safe to do so.
- It’s important to maintain effective on-going relationships with local fire authorities, and drills should be conducted regularly.
- Some items should be placed within a secured off- site second storage location or place invaluable objects within a fire-proof steel safe.
- Collectors that lend items to institutions need to receive facility reports. These reports should go into detail on fire protections.
- Make a video of your collection inside your home so that you can show your insurance company and streamline the claim process.
- Reserve space in a fine arts storage warehouse, ideally a warehouse with staff trained to handle fragile artwork. It is important to know how long it would take the warehouse to get a truck to your residence and how much time would be needed to carefully pack and ship your artwork.
- Prioritize what pieces are most valuable to you should you be faced with the need to evacuate as soon as possible and if it is safe to bring any art with you.
- Some homeowner insurance companies provide a service to have your home sprayed with fire retardant materials to prevent the house from burning. Find out if the service is available for you. These companies use GPS systems to monitor the locations and direction of wildfires and are able to gauge how long it would take for them to safely reach a home and treat it with retardant sprays.
- Consider building a “safe” room or plan what artwork might fit into your home safe. In one recent case, a homeowner’s house was destroyed, but valuable prints stored in the family safe survived the fire with only minor damage.
Keep windows closed and block up outside air vents. Not all collectors have the resources to contract with storage facilities or fire retardant contractors, but taking basic precautions are essential since smoke damage can be treatable. The threat of fire – whether from a structure fire in a landmark building that houses art and artifacts or wildfire risk to other museums, institutions and private collectors – is a risk that should be taken seriously and planned for accordingly. With a proper plan in place as well as the knowledge on how to keep a collection of any size safe and secure, the threat is minimized.
This article is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to provide individualized business, insurance or legal advice. You should discuss your individual circumstances thoroughly with your legal and other advisors before taking any action with regard to the subject matter of this article.