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Media Advisories 
Thursday, March 01, 2007
No. 11
Central Park’s Bethesda Terrace Arcade Reopens: After More Than 20 Years In Storage, the Arcade’s Restored Minton Tile Ceiling is Unveiled
DATE: Friday, March 2nd, 2007
TIME: 10:30 a.m. Remarks and Ribbon Cutting; 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Guided Tours and Restoration Demonstrations
LOCATION: Bethesda Terrace Arcade, Mid-park at 72nd Street, Central Park, Manhattan
EVENT & PHOTO-OP: Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe and Central Park Conservancy President Douglas Blonsky reopen the historic Bethesda Terrace Arcade with its restored ceiling, which features almost 16,000 Minton tiles. Expert guided tours and tile restoration demonstrations will be available.
DETAILS: The Bethesda Terrace Arcade, the richly decorated underground component of Central Park’s Bethesda Terrace, will reopen to the public after a $7 million restoration by the Central Park Conservancy. Experts who worked on the project will hold guided tours and demonstrate the process used to clean and restore each tile by hand.
The main focus of the restoration was the preservation and reinstallation of the Arcade’s treasured Minton tile ceiling, the only known example of Minton encaustic ceramic tiles used in a suspended ceiling. The majority of the 15,876 tiles were removed and put into storage in the early 1980s because their backing plates were severely corroded due to water infiltration. Additional restoration efforts reinforced and waterproofed the infrastructure to prevent any future water damage.
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CONTACT: Warner Johnston / Abigail Lootens (Parks & Recreation) (212) 360-1311; Jennifer Pucci (Central Park Conservancy) (212) 310-6658
Related Press Release:
Central Park’s Bethesda Terrace Arcade Reopens:
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