The historic Fox Theatre is one of Atlanta’s premiere venues for live entertainment. The Fox’s 4,678 seat theatre is booked more than 300 performances a year ranging from Broadway to rock to comedy to movies.

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30th December 2010

Photoset with 2 notes

While they appear to be made from exquisite metals, most of the ornate decor in the Fox Theatre is actually plaster.  The Restoration Department identifies damaged or worn pieces and recreates each piece using a historic mold.

Once the plaster has been poured, set, and hardened, a fine, adhesive glue called “size” is applied.  The plaster and size will sit untouched for 8-12 hours until it achieves a high level of stickiness. 

The artisans then gild the plaster pieces using a paintbrush and extremely thin sheets of aluminum leaf or imitation gold leaf, also known as Dutch metal.  The process is repeated until the plaster is concealed. 

After the metal has been applied, a piece of cheese cloth is used to burnish or smooth out the creases.  Finally, the aluminum is treated with orange shellac and a burnt umber glaze to give the appearance of gold.  The imitation gold leaf is treated with a burnt umber glaze to deepen the appearance and add age.

Photographs by Yoonhwa Jang
Copyright Fox Theatre Archives

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