After my recent international move, I was dismayed to find that an antique cabinet and mirror were damaged en route. I needed a restorer! After initially being impressed with the website of The Conservation Center, I decided to stop by and check them out (I should have made an appointment but was not turned away). What an interesting place and the perfect choice for me for repair and restoration of my pieces. Everyone there is extremely professional and communication about the entire process thorough and efficient. I am more than satisfied with how beautiful my pieces were restored and the great team of guys who picked them up and returned them when they were finished. I can highly recommend The Conservation Center!

I had my Grandmothers recipe book given to me, soon after my Mother passed last year, it was so fragile I was afraid to turn the pages. My Dad who is still with us at 93, had scribbled over the pages as a little boy and the book was incredibly special to me. From start to finish The Conservation Center were amazing and impeccable with their service. I worked with Tabitha who made the entire process an absolute delight. My experience with them added to the story and history of the cookbook. They worked with me on pricing and kept me updated at all times. Tabitha was so very professional and a true delight to work with. Everyone I dealt with was outstanding. They truly seem to care about what they do. I have nothing but raving reviews for them. Simply an incredible experience.

Just a phenomenal, lovely experience. Super high-quality, educated staff. So happy with how our work was treated and framed. Fabulous!

When my husband and I moved from a large house to an apartment, two of our favorite oil paintings would not fit through the stairway of the new building. The Conservation Center assessed the situation and came up with a way to remove the paintings from their frames and reassemble them inside our new home. We are delighted that we did not have to sacrifice these artworks in our move.

I recently sent a landscape pencil drawing to the Conservation Center for cleaning. The drawing in question was on laid paper which was approximately 200 years old. It exhibited the typical signs of age for a picture this old; foxing was evident and staining was present at various locations. The surface of the drawing was also soiled with a film of fine dust which had accumulated over its long life. These issues, while not individually serious, cumulatively did detract from the artist’s depiction of the exquisitely rendered country scene.The task given to the Conservation Center was to restore the picture as near as possible to its original condition without losing any of the fine detail that made it such an impressive work of art. Moreover, because the signature on the drawing was barely discernible, it was necessary for the restoration process to be as gentle as possible. In addition the drawing was loosely attached to an old paper surround that was an important part of the provenance of the drawing; this too required some attention.The Conservation Center made an expert assessment of what was necessary to restore the drawing and original paper surround with a cost quotation and a completion date. I was also provided a cost for matting and framing of the artwork with archival materials should I wish to add this to the work to be undertaken.The proposed treatment of the artwork was completed on time and the results were very impressive. The foxing, staining and the fine dust particles were removed giving the drawing a much brighter appearance.I opted for the matting and re-framing which was expertly done, enhanced the appearance of the picture and provided an improved level of protection.The Conservation Center has restored several works of art on paper for me and the results have always been of a very high standard. Moreover, the interaction with their personnel has been excellent. I have always found them to be friendly, helpful and very responsive. I will continue to use their services in the future.

LOVED the open house the other week! Informative and super friendly conservators explained their work and made me REALLY appreciate the wonderful world of art conservation. Oh, and what a helpful and great looking account management team (especially Tabitha)!

Edited for follow up:I was contacted by Heather after the unfortunate experience detailed below. She went to great lengths to rectify the situation on a personal level as well as a professional one. The piece in question was picked up, the issue corrected and delivery made in an extraordinary short time frame, and with our family holiday schedule considered.The piece is so well done and a beautiful keepsake for my children.Thank you, Heather and staff, for all you have done.Original post:My deceased former husband had contracted with The Conservation Center to mount and frame a photograph and a book, Einstein related. After a misunderstanding regarding the scheduled delivery, the item was finally delivered. The delivery person was pleasant and carried the box inside and placed it next to me wall, the package is clearly marked This Side Up . It was put down correctly and kept that way until we opened the box which was a bit tricky as the correct positioning of the box required it to be opened on its edge, not flat. When opened, we discovered that a large number of pages of the mounted book had come free from the clip. I immediately took photos and emailed Sasha. After weeks, I was left two voice mails with slightly passive aggressive remarks regarding internal review of the situation and their determination that this could not have possible happened while the item was either in their possession in the building or during transport. I can only say that I have no idea when or how it happened and was not angry or upset at the inconvenience. But, instead of being advised of an additional charge to repair the mounting or some similar resolution, I was slightly berated by their employees and it was insinuated that I somehow caused this problem and am choosing not to acknowledge it.After a mischeduled delivery, delays in getting back in touch, etc., I feel I was reasonable. I would have understood an extra charge even though the item was not unpacked by their delivery person and therefore, there is no way they can claim it didnt happen before or during transport. But what I find most disappointing was is the way I was treated verbally, I do not need passive aggressive remarks, the oft repeated our internal review of the case, and the insinuations.Very disappointing and I will be looking for another company to correct the mounting issue. Perhaps, someone should speak to their representatives about how to solve an issue instead of insulting peoples intelligence.

Speaking from a decades worth of experience and more than ten projects with the Center, I can securely say that they should be avoided at all costs. It took me way too long to discover that their services are obscenely overpriced compared to better options available in the city that will do the same work at a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time. For the price paid and duration endured, the results are unacceptably inconsistent. Some things may be well done, while others will be sloppy. The conservators you meet with are not necessarily those that will execute the work, since pieces go to team-members of varying abilities. They cannot adhere to completion dates or meet deadlines. All projects are subject to disruption due to an emergency-response program that prioritizes anything requiring immediate attention, which means that things damaged in somebodys flooded basement can impact your timeline. Projects regularly run months behind schedule. The project management structure is ineffective. Communication seems broken and in need of simplification with verification protocols. There is a high turnover rate and projects regularly pass from hand to hand, which also impacts quality and consistency. Their ability to take direction or execute instructions is very limited and it is common for client requests or specifications to be completely ignored. Instead of a bloated, overpriced clearinghouse coasting on its reputation and the illusion of prestige, save yourself a lot of money and headache by calling one of the independent conservators in Chicago instead.

Fantastic high quality service

I visited with a customer that had a painting refurbished.

Perfect work! Couldnt be happier.