1985: The John Fitch frescoed lunette in the Patent Corridor and twenty-four medallions of landscapes and animals in the Senate corridors were conserved.
1987 to 1988: The bronze railings of the Members' staircases designed by Brumidi were cleaned to reveal their original patina and given a protective coating.
1989: Conservation of the frescoed lunettes in the corridor resumed with the damaged Benjamin Franklin and First Treaty of Peace.
1991: Three heavily overpainted frescoed lunettes, Columbus and the Indian Maiden, Authority Consults the Written Law, and Robert Fulton, were conserved. The condition of the murals in the north entry was analyzed.
For an example of the dramatic difference made by conservation, see the following photographs:
- Columbus and the Indian Maiden
1992: The lunette Bartholomé de Las Casas, the only one painted in oil, was cleaned of extensive overpaint; the lunettes Bellona and Cession of Louisiana were conserved. The original tempera lunette and ceiling decoration and the three frescoed portraits of Justice Joseph Story, Chancellor James Kent, and Chancellor Robert R. Livingston by Brumidi in the north entry were also conserved.
1993: More extensive research, testing, and analysis was performed on the murals in the complex first-floor corridor area to determine the original designs, colors, and techniques on the walls and ceilings. The resulting report formulated a 10-year plan for the restoration of the walls of the Brumidi Corridors.
1994: Conservation of damaged areas in the Zodiac Corridor.
1996: The conservation of the walls of the Brumidi Corridors began the pilot Phase I, which included the uncovering of three panels at the east end of the Patent Corridor and the discovery of the full beauty of the details and colors of the original frescoes. It was found that the most effective technique to remove layers of oil overpaint was with sharp scalpels. The conservators learned that the surrounding frames remain in good condition, so they were uncovered rather than replicated. Research on the best methods to consolidate areas of fragile plaster began.
1997: Conservation of the remaining decorated panels in the Patent Corridor was accomplished.
1998: After extensive research and testing, the murky green borders in the Patent Corridor were repainted in the original sandstone color. Phase III of the conservation project extended to the panels in the North Corridor.
1999: Highlights and shadows and replication of carved inset panels in the plain sandstone border were added to the repainted plain border areas. Phase IV extended the conservation to the center of the North Corridor.
2000: Phase V continued the uncovering of panels and replication of borders into the west section of the North Corridor.
2001: Phase VI will continue the uncovering of original panels in the North Corridor. An exhibition about Brumidi and the conservation of the corridors and other frescoes is in progress.
