he primary goal of both Art Conservation and Building and Landscape Preservation is to prolong the existence of cultural property. At Shangri La, art conservators focus on caring for the art and artifacts in the collection while building and landscape preservation specialists focus on the historic residence and grounds.

Art Conservation

In her will, Doris Duke established the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA) to make Shangri La available to scholars, students and others interested in the furtherance and preservation of Islamic art. Shangri La’s ocean front location and open-air design create many preservation challenges including humidity and temperature fluctuations, insect activity, and marine salts that corrode metals and saturate organic materials.

DDFIA works with a number of professional conservators, including specialists in objects, textiles, paintings, paper, and architectural art. Conservation activities include examination, documentation, treatment and preventive care supported by research and education. Each conservator abides by the highest professional standards and works in collaboration with other professionals to ensure objects attain historically appropriate appearances.

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Building and Landscape Preservation

A multi-year master plan has been developed for Shangri La to address the preservation and adaptive use of the historic residence and grounds. The plan is currently in its tenth year and includes such challenges as refurbishing corroded bronze window and doorframes, restoring original light fixtures, extensive repairing of concrete and plaster walls and roofs, removing hazardous materials, painting, rewiring, and other work.

From 2001-2002, the public rooms of the estate were restored to reflect their appearance during Doris Duke’s lifetime. These rooms are now open for public tours. In more recent years, preservation efforts focused on the landscape and Playhouse in support of cultural programs. In 2009, attention turned to the Damascus room and in the upcoming years, preservation work will focus on the Mughal Suite.

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