I
Like New
EDITH BROI DA
Special to The Jewish News
I
n 1914, Jewish architect
Albert Kahn designed the
exclusive Detroit Athletic
Club, but he never enjoyed
the privileges of membership; pre-
dictably, his application was denied
because of his religion.
Fast forward to Aaron Katz's
recent bar mitzvah at Temple
Emmau-El. His parents, Ken and
Ann, and their guests celebrated the
simchah with a festive dinner at the
DAC downtown. If Albert Kahn
were alive today he, like Ken, would
be an esteemed member of the club.
Katz, a conservator and ardent
Detroit boaster, was welcomed into
the DAC in 1995, and he became
responsible for preserving much of
Kahn's original design when the club
began extensive renovations two
years later.
Katz was
invited to
serve on the
arts commit-
tee. When a
painter work-
ing on the ele-
gant dining
room ceiling
unexpectedly
exposed green
leaves and a
important contri utions to
the historic club's recent makeover.
Above: Detail from the restoration.
Left: The dining room ceiling looks 80 years young.
Below: Ken Katz helped restore the DAC.
Wreath
beneath flak-
ing brown
paint, it was
Katz who
swiped a finger over the faded paint
and discovered it was not water-
based but oil.
Members of the ladies committee
unearthed photographs that con-
firmed the ceiling had been original-
ly decorated with fresco-like paint-
ings. The signature of the artist was
still evident: A. Duncan Carse.
Katz knew that whenever Kahn
accepted a commission, he always
planned a harmonious balance of
exterior and interior. Kahn ordered
art work and iron work from
renowned European craftsmen to
complement the building's classic
Italian Renaissance design. Over the
years, routine painting and mainte-
nance had obliterated Carse's origi-
nal work.
Katz was pleased to find support
for restoring the ceilings in the din-
ing room, reading room and lobby
to their original beauty.
Conservators are a rare species. In
addition to their highly specialized
training, they have a passion for
authenticity.
Katz presents the demeanor of a
patient, practical businessman when
he meets with clients in his spacious
Harmonie Park studio, but he
obsessed with the DAC project.
Once his proposal was accepted, the
rest of his life went on hold. He had
a six-week deadline. He had to hire
and train additional staff who could
work with surgical precision to
remove the ugly brown overpaint.
He had to coordinate his schedule
with Seebohm, Limited, a decora-
tive conservation company from
Petoskey which had also been
engaged by the DAC. He worked
tirelessly, feeling like a magician
every time a new picture emerged.
Katz's qualifications for this work
are impeccable. He is the only con-
servator of paintings in Michigan to
be elected a fellow of the
International Institute for
Conservation. Formerly a member of
the Detroit I nstitute of Arts staff, he
established his own firm,
I2/I1
1998
Detroit Jewish News
79