Archbishop House

Project History

The Archbishop’s House is the first archbishop residence in the nation. Frequently called the “Catholic White House” and considered the cradle of Catholicism in the United States, it still serves as the home and offices for the current archbishop, secretary to the archbishop and the rector of the Basilica. Originally designed by architect William F. Small who worked for Basilica architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, it was built in 1829, enlarged in 1864 with a stucco covered brick façade and later covered in 1952 with the popular stone-like material Formstone, later dubbed the “polyester of brick”.

Restoration efforts included removal of the Formstone and resurfacing the deteriorated underlying porous brickwork with scored stucco. The walls were primed to provide a stable substrate and coated with a mineral silicate paint to provide protection from environmental pollution and acid rain. The finish color was chosen to match the original color of the historic 1865 structure.

Conproco worked with Worcester Eisenbrandt’s historical preservationists to insure a desirable color match using Primex, a clear primer, and M3P, a paint-like material used to replicate the original color and protect the stucco substrate against water infiltration and carbonation. M3P does not form a film on the surface like paint, and will not blister, flake or peel minimizing need for future maintenance. Applicators rolled on the top coat giving the scored stucco a finished mortar joint appearance. Repairs were made to the brownstone capped brick privacy wall to fill in chipped edges and nail holes with color-matched Mimic.