"The High Tower" pendentive, from the mural series "The Building of the House of Wisdom," Charlton Yarnall House

Oakley expands the theme of the Ages of Man in the lunettes to the Ages of Civilization in four pendentives. In this panel, a contemporary construction worker builds the modern skyscraper.

In 1962, the American Red Cross purchased the Charlton Yarnall House and transformed it into an office building. Concerned about the safety of Oakley’s murals, Edith Emerson, then director of Woodmere, contacted the organization and arranged to have them removed. Twelve of the thirteen elements were extracted successfully, but one of the pendentives, The High Tower, could not be separated from its architectural setting. It apparently had come loose at some point, and had been reglued with a very strong adhesive. Emerson had no choice but to leave The High Tower in place, where—alas—it was sanded, primed, and painted over with house paint.

In 2017, the building’s owner, the Honorable Allan Domb, gave Woodmere permission to “excavate” and extract whatever remained. Woodmere Deputy Director for Exhibitions Rick Ortwein literally cut into plaster walls, digging through layers of paint with a razor. Conservator Steven Erisoty removed layers of house paint and primer to find that The High Tower had lost its surface markings. The finished painting is gone, but the work nonetheless reveals Oakley’s first pass in building the image and demonstrates her process. The High Tower remains an object of interest and beauty, and Woodmere is thrilled to complete the mural cycle.