Sports Stadium Floor Gets New Life as Framed Collectibles
Project Description
LEGENDARY NBA MOMENTS FRAMEDAND PRESERVED WITH ACRYLIC SHEET Signed by Basketball Greats, the Old Boston Garden's Parquet Floor Gets New Life as Framed Collectibles "Havlicek stole the ball! It's all over! It's all over," screamed the legendary voice of the Boston Celtics, Johnny Most. It may be one of the most celebrated calls in the history of basketball. John Havlicek deflected Hal Greer's inbound pass to his teammate Sam Jones in the last seconds of the seventh and deciding game of the 1965 Eastern Division Finals against Philadelphia. It was truly a magical moment in Celtic's history and one of many historical moments on the Boston Garden's parquet floor. The parquet floor has been the celebrated home turf of the Boston Celtics since the inaugural year of the National Basketball Association in 1946, and an integral part of the Celtics history for over 50 years, including 16 World Championships. In fact, every NBA "Hall of Famer" has graced the parquet floor at one time or another. December 22, 1999, was the last night the Celtics played on this famed surface. After this night, the old floor would be retired and replaced with 264, 5' x 5' panels of red oak lumber. The Celtics management and the FleetCenter decided to give NBA fans an opportunity to buy a player-signed piece of the famous floor where some of basketball's most memorable moments had occurred. The autographed pieces of parquet, approximately two feet square, were encased in custom hand made oak and maple frames, and glazed using Evonik Cyro's ACRYLITE® AR OP-3 acrylic sheet to protect and preserve the signatures. Created by C&C Galleries (Norwell, MA), the finished products were auctioned online at Sotheby's and Amazon.com's joint Web site, with proceeds going towards a new floor and various charities. Making Parquet Moments David Connor, President of C&C Galleries and a board member of the New England Professional Picture Framer's Association, teamed up with three other Boston area framers to tackle this monumental job, donating all of their time and labor. C&C Galleries often does project and charitable work for the FleetCenter and the Boston Celtics, such as framing the retired jerseys of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. The parquet floor was torn up and 19 pieces were chosen, including center-court, adorned with the famed Leprechaun logo. The 19 sections were then autographed, uniquely mounted, preserved, and made into "Parquet Moments". These moments consist of everything from the exact spot Havlicek stood when he stole the ball in 1965 to a piece taken from the key where Kevin McHale revolutionized play in the low-post. All "Parquet Moments" were researched through vintage sports photographs and video. The unique parquet design made it easy to pinpoint these moments to the exact section of the floor where history was made. Keeping the Moments Alive Preserving the 24" x 24" autographed floor pieces proved to be a challenging task for the framers with the main issue being correctly protecting the collectibles from harmful UV light. "You have to understand that these pieces of wood have been around for 50 years, so they're not going any place," says Connor. "We were most concerned with the potential fading of the signatures. If a piece is not framed using the right type of conservation glazing, five years down the road you won't even see the signature because UV light will destroy them." [More information ...]
"AR OP-3 sheet filters out 98 percent of harmful UV light that would normally penetrate through regular acrylic or glass. It is also abrasion and chemical resistant, which protects the article from constant contact and cleaning with household ammonia-based cleaners. This is extremely important since the majority of people who buy these types of collectibles are not art collectors and may not properly care for these items. With this material, we are able to protect and preserve the signatures for the longest possible time." (more) The material also provided protection against breakage. "If the glass were broken during shipping, this memorabilia would most likely be ruined," explains Connor. "You can't find a replacement piece of this parquet floor. Whenever there is something unique or irreplaceable, we prefer to use the acrylic sheet because it won't break during shipping and handling, and is safer in terms of getting cut which can occur with broken glass." Weight was also a concern, since the average piece of floor measured 46" x 32" and weighed close to 50 pounds. The handmade oak and maple frames were built with the floor piece standing up. "This hefty display would have been a lot heavier with glass," says Connor. Piecing the Moments Together After the pieces were autographed, the unit was put together with the acrylic sheet placed upside down. The four sides of the frame were anchored in, holding the acrylic sheet in position. The parquet was bolted to a custom designed plywood backing board. Its sides were built up using foam core or gaiter board, covered with matte or material, and screwed into the frame assembly. No glue was used so that the owners could easily remove the memorabilia, if they so desired. Each piece took approximately eight hours to create. "Our goal was to make a complete package," says Connor. "We wanted to create the best possible visual effect. This acrylic glazing material added to that because of its excellent optical clarity. There is no distortion at all." The Auction The Sotheby's and Amazon.com auction raised over half a million dollars. In the end, the highest price item was center court with its famed leprechaun logo, which sold for $301,000. John Havlicek's celebrated play sold for $28,000.
Further Information
Company
C&C Galleries
Market Segment/Occupation
Framing
Country
United States
Thickness of Material
3/16
Location of project
Norwell, MA
