At the center of Rockefeller Center in New York City stands Prometheus, the iconic 18-foot tall, eight-ton, gilded bronze sculpture seen by millions of visitors every year. As one of the most recognizable landmarks in the United States, Prometheus is one of the most photographed pieces of art in the country. Designed by Art Deco icon Paul Howard Manship, and originally installed nearly a century ago, the 2025 restoration work on this priceless sculpture required exceptional care.
For this project, the gilded Titan required complete surface preparation down to bare bronze prior to its re-gilding. Decades of exposure to a wide range of environmental conditions had left the existing coating worn, discolored, and flaking.
This project presented a unique challenge. On all sides, the sculpture is surrounded by a fountain, heavy pedestrian foot traffic, shops, and popular plaza activities like ice skating, and concerts. Due these variables, large project staging was not feasible, and ordinary abrasive blasting posed concerns about dust generation and ricochet.
After evaluating several surface preparation methods, the contracting team (PBM Painting, LLC) and conservator (Roussel Art Conservation) selected Sponge-Jet cleaning as their preferred method. Sponge Media's low-dust, low-rebound characteristics made it possible to remove the old coating and prepare the bronze with an adequate surface profile, while requiring minimal containment. This proved especially impressive given the project site's location in the middle of the one the busiest spots in Manhattan.
Further, the recyclability of Sponge Media offered major advantages that ordinary abrasives didn’t. In a bustling city environment with limited project staging, the amount of abrasive material to be trucked in and out needs to be factored in. Sponge Media was recovered and recycled for reuse multiple times onsite, dramatically reducing the amount of material that needed to be transported through Rockefeller Center.
Contractors removed multiple layers of gilding and coatings while keeping the ornate integrity of the sculpture. The restoration work was completed without disruptions to foot traffic or any nearby structures and walkways.
Once the bronze was clean and bare, the project transitioned to the gilders at Gilding NYC, overseen by Roussel Art Conservation. With proper sizing adhesion ensured, they applied fresh layers of gold leaf to recreate the original prolific appearance of Manship's 1934 masterpiece.
Bill Gauthier, Owner, at Gilding NYC said, "Having worked with Sponge-Jet for the first time, I was amazed how the atmosphere in the enclosure was completely visible throughout the process. Other high pressure cleaning procedures often over-plume, causing delays while the atmospheric particles settle. The Sponge-Jet process captures the atomized particles immediately, allowing for a constant continuation of the cleaning process. For future projects that require complete removal of coating, we will only consider using Sponge-Jet."
The important deadline for the restoration was met, with the work completed in time for the annual New York City christmas tree lighting. The final result was a beautifully restored Prometheus, ready to shine once again at the heart of Rockefeller Center.