Pilot Approach: Preservation. The deterioration has been stabilized, yet the tomb appears much as it did before treatment. The hard cement patches from earlier repairs were replaced with a softer hydraulic lime-based mortar and the entire tomb was finished in a buff-colored limewash to blend in the repairs.

Bergamini Tomb #12

The Bergamini Tomb is of the Classical pediment or temple tomb type and is believed to date from 1865, the date of the first entry on the closure tablet. It has an ornate transitional metalwork gate comprised of wrought iron grillwork fastened with cast zinc rosettes at all intersections. Above the front pediment, a marble statue of a weeping child in mourning sits on a stuccoed brick base. According to archival research performed by Tulane University students, the statue was carved by the principal member of the Bergamini family, Alexander, who was a stone carver from Triest, Italy. The statue may have been installed at a later date, after the tomb was complete.

The Bergamini Tomb was in fairly good condition prior to the Conservation Pilot Program, with only minimal areas of stucco loss and soiled, weathered marble closure table and statue. The approach for the preservation of this tomb was, therefore, a conservation one involving merely the stabilization and conservation of the masonry and associated stone and metalwork. The goal of the work was to stabilize the tomb and prevent further decay without significantly affecting its general appearance. It was felt that the tomb's gently weathered appearance reflects its age value and contributes to the overall historical integrity of the site.

Above text adapted from Dorothy Krotzer and Frank G. Matero, PIlot Tomb Project Report, 2002.