PORTER, DOUGLAS1; BASS, ANGELYN2

1) Principal Investigator, University of Vermont, School of Engineering, douglas.porter@uvm.edu

2) Assistant Professor, University of New Mexico, Department of Anthropology, angelynbass@gmail.com

Encompassing approximately three acres, the formal garden of Shelburne Farms occupies a lakeshore site that is one of the most beautiful features of the former Vanderbilt estate. This paper discusses the multidisciplinary approach taken to charting the evolution of the garden through the period of significance, geotechnical investigation of the site and characterization of materials pathologies; presents the results of technical studies undertaken to design appropriate repairs; and describes treatments and craft processes used to return the Formal Garden to its former prominence as a focal point of the gilded-age estate.