BILLINGS - The sky is falling at the Moss Mansion as the historic glass tiles on the ceiling of the kitchen have dropped to the floor.
It’s the latest problem to plague the Moss Mansion, but Director of Operations Corinna Sinclair says it's a complicated fix because the Moss will have to find funding and a unique way to preserve the tiles.
“It’s going to be a long project,” she said. “We didn’t see it coming.”
The staff believes it all started with all the humidity and the rain this spring.
The tiles are made of delicate glass and imported, making them very rare, which Sinclair says makes finding them hard to come by.
“It’s just trickier. It’s not just running to the hardware store,” she said. “The tile itself is from Czechoslovakia."
The tiles were added to the Moss Mansion in the 1990s when the home was restored. At that time, the same thing was happening, but a crew was able to come in and refurbish the ceiling where the tiles fell.
Sinclair says that the same crew is not around any longer.
“So back in 1991 they ordered big sheets of this glass from Czechoslovakia, the original company, and had them hand cut in Laurel, and it was very expensive,” said Sinclair.
For over 30 years, those tiles held but technology has caught up with the way the tiles were once installed.
“It’s not running to the hardware store and calling the handyman,” she said. “It’s sometimes world-renowned preservationists that really and truly help us preserve this historic place.”
But that is going to be difficult when money for this year is already allocated to another expensive project for the Moss Mansion, according to Sinclair.
It's why she says donations are needed.
“There is no extra at the moment so to deal with this project we will need some help,” she said.
Executive Director Aly Turner says people can support the Moss by taking a tour, attending an event, or donating.
