As the focal point of America's largest municipal bankruptcy, the Detroit Institute of Arts battened down the hatches, raised tens of millions of dollars, and came out the other side without selling so much as a paint swatch. After all that (and nearly nine decades of use), it's time for the architectural equivalent of a day at the spa.
This spring, restoration specialists will give the building's 1927 marble facade a good scrubbing, repairing mortar joints and fixing broken stones in the process. The cleaning will also cover the replica Donatello and Michelangelo bronzes visible from Woodward Avenue. Announced yesterday, the $100K undertaking was made possible by a grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and should have the exterior restored to its original luster by fall.
· DIA Press Release [Official]
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