Session

About this Session

Lambert Castle, constructed in 1892 as the residence and showcase of silk manufacturer Catholina Lambert, originally spanned a 53-acre estate featuring the mansion, a north wing art gallery, a gatehouse, a carriage-greenhouse complex, formal Italianate gardens, and an observation tower. Today, only the castle, carriage house, and tower remain. The Castle underwent a significant seven-million-dollar restoration in 2022 and reopened to the public in January 2026. Earlier renovations in the 1930s included alterations to the castle, during which the original marble mantle and carved cartouche memorializing Lambert’s daughter were removed. The ornate marble cartouche, nearly 4 feet tall, could not be replicated due to the scarcity and expense of stone. Instead, alternative materials were chosen to reinterpret this element. In 1892, Lambert employed innovative materials and techniques to realize his eclectic vision for the Castle. Features such as faux bois railings and serpentine scagliola columns in the foyer exemplified his use of available technologies to replicate exotic materials. This history inspired the approach to recreating the cartouche. Beginning with a block of clay, the artist created maquettes to study the intricate carvings. Once finalized, the full-scale clay model was 3D scanned to produce a digital replica. High-density foam was CNC routed from the digital model, coated with plaster, and finished to match the original palette. This approach maintained the grandeur of the Castle’s details while respecting its legacy of creative material usage.

As part of ongoing restoration efforts, Passaic County and Clarke Caton Hintz investigated reconstructing the former North Wing, which had served as an art gallery for Lambert’s celebrated collection. However, the limited historic documentation, consisting mainly of photographs, and the high cost of physical reconstruction posed challenges. To address these obstacles, the team developed an innovative digital solution. An interactive virtual reality experience of the North Wing was created, allowing visitors to explore the lost space through a VR headset. Visitors can virtually “walk through” the historic gardens and art gallery, engaging with the artwork to learn more about each piece, its artist, and its provenance. Detailed auction records from nearly a century ago enabled the accurate representation of the original artwork in the virtual gallery.

The virtual North Wing not only enhances the visitor experience but also extends the site’s accessibility. It can be shared online, allowing people worldwide to engage in the Castle’s history through emerging technologies. This immersive digital representation showcases the potential of innovative methods to preserve and expand knowledge of historic sites, ensuring Lambert Castle’s legacy continues to inspire.

The presentation will showcase these alternative and emerging technologies to represent historic material and expand knowledge of the historic site through immersive digital experiences. 

Target audience: Architects, Historians, Historic Societies 

Learning Objectives:

1. How to engage public audiences with historic narratives through innovative and creative technological means.
2. How innovative technology and techniques can be used to understand historic experiences, narratives, and the historic built environment.
3. How to analyze and interpret historic building materials through new technologies to document, diagnose, and design interventions to preserve structures/sites/places.

Short summary of session – limit of 150 words (for conference marketing) 

Lambert Castle, constructed in 1892 as the residence and showplace of silk manufacturer Catholina Lambert, occupied a 53-acre estate that included an art gallery, gatehouse, carriage-greenhouse complex, Italianate gardens, and an observation tower. Today, only the castle, carriage house, and tower survive. The Castle reopened to the public in January 2026, following a 7-million-dollar restoration. Earlier 1930s alterations removed key decorative elements, including ornate marble carvings. Because replicating the original stone was impractical, contemporary materials and digital fabrication techniques were used to reinterpret the feature, reflecting Lambert’s own historic use of innovative materials. As part of ongoing restoration efforts options for reconstructing the lost North Wing art gallery were explored. Limited documentation and cost led instead to the creation of an immersive virtual reality experience, allowing visitors to explore the gallery and gardens digitally. This project demonstrates how emerging technologies can preserve, interpret, and expand access to historic sites.

Presenters (no more than three), names, contact information, and biographies – limit of 150 words (for conference marketing) 

Kelly C. Ruffel is the Director of the Department of Cultural & Historic Affairs for the County of Passaic. In her role, she oversees all of Passaic County’s historic assets from administering program and preservation grants, capital improvement and planning projects, to the development and implementation of cultural and interpretive programming; and management of content and creation of marketing products for print and digital platforms for the County’s See Passaic brand. Through these different facets, Ruffel dedicates her time to the preservation and promotion of Passaic County’s cultural heritage. In addition to her work with the County, Kelly serves as an adjunct professor at Middlesex College and William Paterson University of New Jersey, she also holds the position of Executive Director at Preservation New Jersey since December 2022. A New Jersey native, Ms. Ruffel holds her BA in History, BA in Anthropology, and an MA in History from William Paterson University.

Michael Hanrahan, FAIA is a principal at Clarke Caton Hintz. Michael is responsible for many of the firm’s award-winning projects, but most notably for historic preservation and the adaptive re-use of existing buildings, including the renovation and expansion of Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, a national historic landmark; the restoration of Lambert Castle in Paterson; and the Rutgers University-Camden Gateway Project which features the renovation of a dozen historic rowhomes. Michael has also served as AIA-NJ President in 2011, Preservation New Jersey President in 2013-2014 and recently completed a three-year term as New Jersey’s representative to AIA National’s Strategic Council.

James Giresi, AIA is a licensed architect and Senior Associate at Clarke Caton Hintz in Trenton, NJ. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of Infrastructure Planning from NJIT. Driven by a deep curiosity about design and construction, James has focused much of his career on preserving historic landmarks. He is dedicated to maintaining the original character of buildings while adapting them to meet modern needs, believing that historic structures should evolve to serve present and future generations. One of his standout projects is the restoration of Belle Vista (Lambert Castle) in Paterson, a Gilded Age mansion that had fallen into disrepair. James has sat on the Board of Preservation New Jersey since 2023 and is an advocate for preservation, supporting local and national organizations and assisting clients in securing grants to protect endangered historic sites.