By Cheryl Abrams
for Builder/Architect
September 2005
Passion, persistence, patience and perfection. Whether working on a single fireplace restoration in a local home, or on his massive preservation project for the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art, these qualities define each job that Michael Kelley undertakes — and, quite literally, the contractor/consultant himself.
Several years ago, Mike’s company caught the attention of producers at the Home and Garden Television Network (HGTV). It’s no wonder, since over the past four decades, the Capital District native has been honing his skills and constructing an impeccable career, combining his love of period architecture with painstaking execution of designs for a variety of projects.
Mike Kelley, president of J.M. Kelley, Ltd., enjoyed what he calls “a wonderful career” with AT&T. Born in North Greenbush, east of Albany, Mike graduated from Siena College with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, followed by five years as a flight officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a result of the breakup of the Bell Telephone system in the 1980s, Mike faced a midlife career quandary.
Passion For Preservation
The answer came naturally, in 1986. Instead of relocating with his employer, Mike decided to stay in the Albany area and form his own historic preservation consulting and contracting firm. Mike’s passion for the field started at age 16, when he helped a family friend restore an 18th century Georgian-style farmhouse. As a teenager, and through his corporate career, Mike pursued his avocation with fervor, attending courses and seminars about restoration. Along the way, he amassed a sizeable reference library, housed today on period-specific bookshelves in his 1937 cottage-style home in Niskayuna.
“I immersed myself in learning all I could about period buildings and styles,” reflects Mike, “and today, research is still one of the cornerstones of any project we tackle. We operate in two camps — the old and the new. We have to know how to install the 21st century conveniences our clients want and need, but with special care given the parameters of mature structures, all with a fine eye for historically accurate design details. And it’s all there, right in the original design pattern books.”
Mike cites the cool comfort of his home on a sunny Saturday in July. “Feels great in here, doesn’t it?” he asks, noting that the home’s late 1930s looks is unblemished by the modern marvel of recently installed air conditioning. “We examined every inch of this house before setting up a course to create a cool environment within the aesthetic of the architectural style. It can be done, but research and attention to the seemingly smallest of details is paramount.”
Persistence Meets Projects
Superb Craftsmanship has earned Mike Kelley’s restorations a national reputation. His persistence to learn more about his chosen field extended well beyond the library. In the early 1970s, Mike met Don Carpentier, an acclaimed historic preservationist who restored more than 20 buildings on a 14-acre spread he called Eastfield Village, in East Nassau. Now a consultant on period films such as “The Bostonians,” “The Europeans” and “The Age of Innocence,” Don accepted
Mike’s helping in moving several 18th and 19th century buildings to the property.
“Take a building apart piece by piece, put it back together, and you will learn more from that hands-on experience than from any course or textbook,” shares Mike. “You will also see that it’s not as simple as it sounds, since a smooth reconstruction requires meticulous documentation.” Mike’s work requires that each piece of a structure be delicately handled, numbered, described, photographed and catalogued for the time when everything comes back for reassembling. “And never, never discard any piece of a building until the projects is complete,” Mike advises. “Catalogue it and keep it. You never know when a stray piece of molding may be the missing element in some part of the structure.”
When Mike reflects on his career, two particular projects come quickly to mind: an 1840 Dutch barn restoration, and his rehab of a 1709 Hudson Valley home, the project featured on HGTV’s “Old Homes Restored.” Outwardly calm, with a cordial, intellectual demeanor, Mike talks fondly about these projects from the early years of his company. In addition to beaming with pride in the finished product, Mike speaks with the utmost respect for the team of craftspeople he has assembled.
“The most important element of my business is the array of highly-skilled, extraordinarily dedicated specialists who work on our projects,” states Mike. “We have worked together for many years on a wide range of projects. My company relies on this same team of subcontractors who provide the nucleus of what we do on each project we work on.”
Patience Brings Results
In the case of the restored 1840 Dutch Barn in Chatham, its use shifted from an agricultural structure to a garage for race cars, which eventually turned into a project to transform the building into an entertainment space. Additionally, the charge was to maintain the look and feel of the original barn. Mike’s crew restored the frame and re-sided the structure, inside and out, with vertically sawn 14-inch boards shipped from North Carolina. All the interior surfaces were hand-planed and hewn, helping to create a highly authentic restoration.
Although the craftsmanship his team exhibited during the 1840 barn projects moves him, Mike Kelley still reels as he recalls the day he and his crew virtually touched the hand of an 18th century worker. They were working on replastering the inside walls of the 1709 Dutch Home. “When we got down to the original layer, we discovered a handprint in the plaster. It was eerie, but at the same time, exhilarating.”
During this early project, Mike learned an important lesson that has served him well during subsequent jobs. While architects and builders today generally design and construct for the present and future, historic preservationists must master the technique of time-shifting. “It’s not enough to pore over books and drawings and photos,” says Mike. “To authentically restore any structure, one must get into the heads and hearts of the people who built and used the structure.”
In the case of the 1709 house, history tells us that the area between Kingston and New Paltz was a dangerous place to live in the early 18th century. The builder of this home was more concerned with food and shelter than with pleasant amenities. After further investigation, Mike discovered that the home was built in three segments, each reflecting a changing external environment in which the builder lived. These facts proved useful, not only for re-creating a more authentic rehab, but also for approaching other projects.
Perfection Is In The Details
As J.M. Kelley, Ltd. has evolved these last 19 years, it has gained a reputation for intellectual integrity, masterful craftsmanship and, above all else, attention to details. While Mike points out that his company continues to entertain projects of varying size and scope, he talks with sincere delight about his ongoing project for the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art in New York City.
A fortuitous chain of events brought Michael Kelley and Peter Kenny, curator of American Decorative Arts and administrator of the American Wing of the museum, together on New Year’s Eve in 2002. Meeting during a blizzard at the site of the David Winne House, an 18th century Dutch farmhouse in Bethlehem, NY, Kenny hired Mike “with a handshake on the spot” to dismantle and document the building and transport it to the Met. Installed inside the museum in March of this year, the Winne House will receive more care and attention from J.M. Kelley, Ltd., as the museum continues its long-range American Wing renovation.
Recalling his first project as a teen — that Georgian-style restoration in East Greenbush, Mike reflects on the “grunt work” he was called upon to do. “It wasn’t all that pleasant, but I became hooked. Work defines us. I love what I do, and I like to surround myself with people who are as passionate as I am about doing the best job they can. No job is too small, and each, with its own set of challenges, is important.”