Oldfield's Estate, Indianapolis

Development Team
OWNER: Indianapolis Museum of Art
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Shiel Sexton, Indianapolis
ARCHITECT: The Hillier Group, Philadelphia
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Robert Silman Associates PC, New York
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Landscapes, Charlotte, Vt.
MEP DESIGN: Landmark Facilities Group, Norwalk, Conn.
MECHANICAL: North Mechanical Contracting Inc., Indianapolis
HVAC DUCTWORK: Bright Sheet Metal, Indianapolis
ELECTRICAL AND SECURITY: Indianapolis Electric Co., Indianapolis
MASON: Broady Cambell, Indianapolis
ORNAMENTAL IRON: Reiss Ornamental, Indianapolis
ROOFING: Smither Roofing, Indianapolis

The restored Oldfield's Estate, built in 1911, is a 22-room mansion on 26 acres owned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

The majority of rooms have been restored to a 1930s appearance, though there are examples in the house from other periods.

Crews worked from pictures, which were hung in rooms during renovation to ensure replication.

The restoration was completed in two phases. The first comprised an assessment of conditions and emergency repairs. The task included collaborating and coordinating with several companies that did the original work.

Completing repairs presented surprises and challenges.
For example, significant structural reinforcing and earth retention was required to construct the large entrance lobby building, which was built under the existing west courtyard and abutting a steep ravine.

The mechanical design mandated underpinning the entire structure and removal of 12 ft. of existing fill to accommodate the new systems.

A new slate roof was installed to match the original, including duplicating the fastening system.

The second phase covered the restoration process.

Several diagnostic tests were done using some of the latest technology, including infrared and thermal imaging to assess the condition of the walls and locate major areas of heat loss.

Dataloggers were installed to measure humidity. Readings were used to design an HVAC system that will maintain uniform levels throughout the home. Similar processes and technology were used to aid in the replacement of the drainage system.

Exact recreation of designs from 70 years ago brings with it the inherent challenges of replicating materials.

The search for these items took design teams to China to find the exact pattern of hand-painted wallpaper when the Lilly family, the original owner, first redecorated the drawing room.

Much of the detail work had to be manually recreated to match, rather than installed new.

For example, in the garage, when a painted door was taken down for sanding and refinishing, the doorway was discovered to be an ornate bronze entryway.
The jury said, "A very impressive project: an excellent combination of art, architecture and history. This a complete restoration, from head to toe. It was very well done. The estate's historical nature was a challenge. The research they did was intense. They even traveled to China to replicate the wallpaper."

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