Former IT student restores Terrace Hill antique

Brian Zimmer holds the coat hook replacement he fashioned for the hall tree at the Iowa Governor's mansion.

In a project that stretched his imagination and challenged his resourcefulness, Brian Zimmer, then a senior majoring in metal casting, volunteered in spring 2004 for an assignment to reproduce a missing antique coat hook from a large Victorian hall tree at Terrace Hill, the Iowa Governor's mansion. The hall tree, made specifically for Terrace Hill by a New York City manufacturer and placed in the house in 1868, originally had four elaborate brass coat hooks, two on either side, shaped like eagles. At some point, over 30 years ago, one of the hooks was lost.

The request for assistance came from Terrace Hill administrator Dave Cordes, to Mohammed Fahmy, interim director of the Metal Casting Center and head of the Department of Industrial Technology, and then to Yury Lerner, professor of industrial technology, who directs applied research in the Center. Zimmer volunteered when Lerner asked if any of the students in his Molding Practices in Metal Casting class would be interested in working on the project.

Zimmer spent approximately 80 hours working on the hooks, which are approximately 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. To come up with an exact replica, he consulted with personnel at Max-Cast in Kalona about the mold and pouring and with Scott Giese, UNI assistant professor of industrial technology. UNI art instructor Daniel Clasby provided valuable advice on finishing procedures to give the hooks the proper patina. (Zimmer made two hooks-one replacement and one extra.) Although he didn't charge much over cost, Zimmer learned, in addition to technical skills, how to be resourceful by getting information and help from many sources.

The people at Terrace Hill were very pleased with the results. "Brian's skill and craftsmanship are great," said Cordes. "The quality of the new hook is in every way equal to the originals." Zimmer got to see how the hook looked after it was installed.

During the summer of 2004 Zimmer worked at the Odiyan Buddhist retreat in California, where he cast statues of Buddhist figures, ranging from life size to 36 feet tall. He is currently an independent contractor for a metal-casting job in Waterloo, and although temporarily employed in the area, he is seeking permanent employment on the West Coast.
                                    

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Last modified: 1/21/05