This project is an excellent example of the capabilities emerging from the combination of stone artistry and stone machine technology. This ornate, elaborate fireplace is a replica of the one at the President’s oval office in the White House. This fireplace was designed, developed, and produced from pictures and historical information provided to us, without measuring or scanning the existing one at the White House.
We created a preliminary sketch from photos of the existing fireplace. From there, each element of the assembly was prototyped and meticulously carved to match. The columns of the fireplace, which carry the iconic capitals, had concave fluted grooves on one half of the column, and convex “entasis” on the other half. This feature made it extremely challenging to recreate. By using a special lathe in the CNC machine to carve out the shapes, the transitions were then hand-carved into perfect shapes. Ornate embellishments such as drapes, Tudor roses, rosettes, and eggcorns were meticulously hand-carved to match the existing fireplace.
Location: Dallas, TX
Completion: 2012
Owner: George W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum
Architect: Robert Stern Architects
General Contractor: Manhattan Construction Company
Services: Design, Prototype, Consultation, Cubic stone CNC Fabrication.
