John Canning & Co. Awarded The 2022 McKim, Mead and White Award for Artisanship
Cheshire CT, October 2022:
John Canning & Co. has been awarded the 2022 McKim, Mead & White award for artisanship by the New York chapter of the Institute for Classical Art and Architecture for their project titled San Joselito’s Chapel - Transformation Through Design. John Canning & Co. completely redesigned the roughly 18ft x 35ft chapel, including the installation of decorative paint, stenciling, glazing, and gilding. This project is a great example of the company’s design scheme services and how they can transform a space. The complete beautification of the once plain, white-washed chapel brought the surrounding community together to create a stunning place of worship to be enjoyed by parishioners and visitors alike.
The McKim, Mead & White Awards, formerly known as the Stanford White Awards, are esteemed awards given for excellence in Classical and New Traditional Design for projects in architecture, landscapes, urbanism, interiors, and building craftsmanship & artisanship throughout New York, New Jersey, and Fairfield County, Connecticut. The McKim, Mead and White award this year comes as an especially extraordinary honor, as it is John Canning & Co.’s second award from the Institute of Classical Art and Architecture (ICAA) New York Chapter, with the first coming during the inaugural 2012 ICAA Stanford White Award year for their project at the Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist.
San Joselito's Chapel
Through the COVID Pandemic, David Riccio embarked on beautifying the Chapel as a volunteer project. Over time, Canning staff members were inspired by the work and purpose of the project. The chapel, located on the campus of St. Joseph’s Church in Norwalk, Connecticut, is housed in the former convent that now functions as administrative offices. In designing the decoration and laying out patterns and artwork, every angle and every inch of space were considered. The chapel color palette is composed of three major colors including a deep green (with an intensity comparable to black), a dark red and a vibrant blue. Variations of these colors appear throughout the interior in field colors and stencil patterns. Gold leafing and tones of yellow highlight the intricate decorative details within the chapel. Careful attention to detail was taken to ensure a harmonious and complete final result. The chapel balances English Gothic design with Spanish influence and incorporates motifs symbolic of the patron saint for whom the chapel is named, San Joselito.
John Canning & Co. was also a part of another 2022 McKim, Mead & White award-winning project at Yale’s Schwarzman Center. The project was led by Robert A.M. Sterns Architects, and Canning provided architectural conservation treatment services for the ornamental plaster, masonry, metal, and wood as part of the project. The company will be celebrating these accomplishments in New York City on November 30th at the awards ceremony. The ceremony event is going to take place at the Metropolitan Club of NY, where Canning performed restoration and conservation work in the past that included the sky mural on the ceiling in the main room.
John Canning & Co. has received a number of awards from the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. Some notable awards include the 2017 Bulfinch Award for Historic Preservation for the project at St. Patrick’s Church, the 2018 Trumbauer Award for the project at the Luzerne County Courthouse, and the 2020 & 2021 Bulfinch Awards for Craftsmanship/Artisanship for the projects at the Mark Twain House & Museum and St. Mary’s Church, respectively.
Located in Cheshire, CT., John Canning & Co. is one of the nation’s experts in historic restoration, conservation, and preservation. John Canning & Co. offers services in a variety of areas, including conservation, planning, designing, historic paint analysis, plaster condition surveys, restoration, decorative finishes and painting, budgeting, and consulting. With over 45 years of experience, John Canning & Co. has received numerous awards and has been entrusted to restore state capitols, courthouses, churches, libraries, museums, theatres, educational establishments, and other historic buildings.