Ebony Test Kitchen Restoration
Completed: February 2022
Location: New York, NY
Project Type: historic restoration, kitchen installation, art exhibition, restoration, site-specific
The Museum of Food and Drink came to Stand and Build in late 2019 with a proposal to restore the Ebony Test Kitchen for an exhibition about African American cooking. After taking stock of the disassembled inventory, we referenced photos and sketches of the original site taken by Landmarks Illinois, the nonprofit that saved it from demolition in 2018.
We built a new floor and walls, opening up the original footprint an extra 14 inches so the public could walk through and experience the space. We replicated the patterned carpet and funky wallpaper, color matched the original paint swatches and laser cut geometric light panels just like the originals. A major feat of the completed structure was engineering the ceiling using two 14-foot I-beams to safely support the range hood.
After a two-year pandemic delay, "African/American: Making the Nation's Table" finally opened at The Africa Center in February, 2022, showcasing the real space where editors of Ebony Magazine tested recipes that have inspired Black families since the 1970s.