“I’ve Never Seen Such a Contrast”

gmcdaniel4444@gmail.com

4 years ago

First on Facebook – April 20, 2021

Click on the blue Facebook logo in the upper right corner above to read all the comments and enlarge the photos, or read the transcript below.

Excerpt from my interview with Susan Buck, paint conservator, from my new book, Drayton Hall Stories: A Place and Its People.

GM: Could you tell us how Drayton Hall’s rooms would have originally appeared?

SB: “All the rooms were painted the same cream color. Most rooms were monochromatic but some had baseboards painted dark brown. If you walked from that huge entry hall into the stair hall, you would have seen a monochrome of cream-colored woodwork on the walls, but in the stair hall, all the mahogany elements of the twin staircases — the wainscot, handrails, and balusters — would have been stained brilliant orange-red, which would have stunningly contrasted against the lighter cream color.

Since the same cream color was on both the first and second-floor woodwork, those two floors were not distinguished by color, but by their architectural elements. The paint was not matte. The cream color did have a sheen and would have reflected sunlight and at night, candlelight.

In the stair hall, imagine how it contrasted with the brilliant orange-red, again in candlelight.

In all the buildings I’ve studied in America or overseas, I’ve never seen such a contrast. It’s unique to Drayton Hall.”

Preview my new book “Drayton Hall Stories: A Place and Its People”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

George W. McDaniel, Ph.D., is President of McDaniel Consulting, LLC, a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and to its broader constituents. The company’s tag line, “Building Bridges through History,” is grounded in McDaniel’s personal beliefs and his experience in site management, preservation, education, board development, fundraising, and community outreach. Rather than using history to divide us, he strives to help organizations use history, especially local history, to enhance cross-cultural understanding and to support local museums, preservation, and education. Dr. McDaniel led volunteer efforts with Emanuel AME Church and historical organizations in Charleston to use historic preservation to enhance racial reconciliation and healing. McDaniel is also the Executive Director Emeritus of Drayton Hall, a historic site in Charleston, SC, owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He retired from Drayton Hall in 2015 after 25 years of distinguished service.

A frequent writer, speaker, and facilitator about such issues, he can be reached at gmcdaniel4444@gmail.com or through his website at www.mcdanielconsulting.net.

All images courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted.