Sylvester Manor: ‘Beneath the Layers’, Restoring the ‘Ionic’ Eldorado Wallpaper / Update

Interior photograph of the “Ladies Parlor” circa 1910 featuring the Zuber Eldorado wallpaper.

Beneath the Layers:

Restoring Sylvester Manor’s Iconic ‘Eldorado’ Wallpaper

Preservation efforts are taking place at Sylvester Manor, starting with the removal of the 1840s French wallpaper by renowned experts of the NYC-based company, Scenic Wallpaper.

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For nearly 120 years, the Ladies Parlor in the 1737 Manor House at Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island, has captivated visitors with its most dramatic feature: the panoramic “Eldorado” landscape wallpaper, a masterpiece crafted by the French company Zuber. First introduced in 1848, the intricate wallpaper transports viewers to a mythic City of Gold, blending real-world locations with an imagined landscape. As one of Zuber’s most iconic designs, “Eldorado” is not just wallpaper—it is a living testament to timeless elegance and craftsmanship.

As the oldest surviving wallpaper manufacturer in the world, Zuber remains synonymous with quality and historical significance. The wallpaper panels at Sylvester Manor were purchased by Cornelia Horsford and her sister Katharine, 6th generation descendents, during a visit to Paris in 1905, and installed when Cornelia renovated the Manor House in 1908. Over the years the “Eldorado” panels, while still stunning, have shown the natural signs of aging, including fading, tearing, and discoloration from decades of exposure. As the wallpaper’s condition deteriorated, Sylvester Manor, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the property, recognized that preserving this masterpiece required a comprehensive and thoughtful approach.

To ensure the continuation of this iconic work, Sylvester Manor has enlisted the expertise of renowned wallpaper specialists Jim Francis and John Nalewaja of Scenic Wallpaper. With years of experience in Zuber landscapes, including “Eldorado,” they carefully outlined a plan that begins with removing the original panels for conservation.

This delicate process not only allows for the renewal of the “Eldorado” wallpaper, but also uncovered rich layers of history embedded within the walls of the Ladies Parlor. Beneath the iconic design, experts discovered earlier wallpapers that chronicle the room’s evolution—from an Arts & Crafts floral motif dating to the era when Professor Eben Horsford, an inventor of baking powder, used the space as his study, to a delicate floral pattern featuring blue asters and green vining stems, a distinctly feminine design. Even older layers reveal gray zig-zag and floral patterns, offering fascinating glimpses into the changing aesthetic of the room over centuries.

The plaster walls, made from local materials including sand and animal hair, have also suffered from the ravages of time. With extensive damage requiring careful attention, the renewal begins with repairing the structural integrity of the walls before installing the new Zuber panels of the same wallpaper design.

The renewal plan, part of a comprehensive rehabilitation of the Manor House, is ambitious and meticulous. The original Zuber wallpaper will be carefully preserved, and new “Eldorado” panels will be printed using the same traditional techniques and materials Zuber has employed for generations. The French Ministry of Culture has designated the original 1,554 hand-carved wooden blocks used to create the design as Historical Monuments, ensuring that the reproduction will be faithful to the original masterpiece. Once the plaster repairs are completed, the new panels will be installed over canvas, allowing for easier removal and future conservation efforts.

This remarkable project has been made possible in part by a generous grant from The Versailles Foundation, alongside the support of individual donors who are deeply committed to preserving the unique heritage of early American history. As one visually stunning aspect of the 46-room Manor House collection, the project is one important step in a larger, ongoing effort to meticulously document and preserve the entire 1737 home for future generations. Working alongside the team at Architectural Preservation Studio DPC, Sylvester Manor is taking the necessary steps to ensure this historically significant property, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, remains protected and celebrated.

The “Eldorado” wallpaper renewal is not merely a repair—it is a significant chapter in the ongoing story of Sylvester Manor. It will serve as a testament to the resilience of the past and a continued link to the rich history of the Manor, offering inspiration for visitors and scholars alike for generations to come.

The lands of Shelter Island’s Sylvester Manor were home for millennia to indigenous Manhansett People. The 236-acre site is the most intact remnant of a former slaveholding plantation north of Virginia. Known today as Sylvester Manor, the site was home to eleven generations of Sylvester descendants, from 1651 until 2014, when it was gifted to the nonprofit organization Sylvester Manor Educational Farm. Over the past 370 years, Sylvester Manor has been a provisioning plantation, an Enlightenment-era farm, and a pioneering food industrialist’s summer estate; and today includes the 1737 Manor House, a restored 19th-century windmill, an Afro-Indigenous Burial Ground, a working farm, and educational and cultural arts programs open to all. Sylvester Manor was designated a Historic District of national significance on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.