Near-IR Identification of Woods for Restoration of Historic Buildings and Furniture

Abstract

Frank Lloyd Wright is perhaps the most widely known of American architects. Wright's Prairie period, devoted mostly to residential architecture, is characterized in part by the use of indigenous woods that were neither planed nor painted (though they were sometimes stained). Residences are more likely to be altered over time than are other buildings, often without good documentation of the changes that were made. This research seeks to aid restoration efforts by providing a means of identifying the original woods used in construction.