The Granite Museum Room

The Granite Room is envisaged as one of the highlights of the museum at Eagle Hill. It will be designed to serve as an exhibit that will be structurally and elegantly detailed to showcase granites found in eastern Maine, in all of their complexity. Primary minerals such as feldspar, quartz, and mica, and secondary minerals such as hornblende, biotite, and pyroxene, occur in a fascinating range of colors, crystal sizes, and luminosities under ultraviolet light. Surface texturing and differential polishing can enhance these effects.

In a very dramatic way, the room will provide a composite regional gravel pits' perspective of the sources of where the multiplicity of kinds of granite found in eastern Maine have come from. We know they came from a North Northwesterly direction, but how far have they traveled? Have some come from as far away as Canada? Experts will help us work this out.

We partially draw our inspiration from the legendary Amber Room, which was gifted in 1716 by Prussian King Frederick William I to his ally, Tsar Peter the Great of Russia, to celebrate peace between their countries, in alliance against Sweden. The original room was looted from St. Petersburg, Russia, during World War II and remains missing. A faithful replica was completed in 2003 in St. Petersburg.

While envisaging the Granite Room at Eagle Hill, we would of course not want to emulate what the Baroque Era accomplished, but would rather showcase the intriguing diversity of eastern Maine granites (both as bedrock and glacial deposits) in a manner that is appropriate for our times and our region of Maine. In addition to serving as a museum exhibit, the room will be used on special occasions for social events and meetings that would benefit from a rarified and elegant setting.

We are seeking advice from visionary architects, craftspeople, artists, and funders who are willing to help to envisage the scope and design of the Granite Room and to help bring it to completion.

Granite Room Advisory Board