I have a wonderful life, full of happiness, joy, and a love of nature. Along the way, I have been fortunate enough to work with “world class” Natural History Museums. This site is a personal journey, reflecting on my past, present, and future pursuits.
My work at the California Academy of Sciences introduced me to the many fields of scientific research that comprise the study of the natural sciences. Exposure to the world of museums opened the door to a wonderland of knowledge and experience that no university could ever provide.
I joined the staff of the American Museum of Natural History in 1990 as Coordinator of Mounting and Specimen Restoration for the Fossil Halls Renovation. Our team completed over 300 specimen mounts during a six-year period. After the Fossil Halls were completed, I stayed at the AMNH for another three years as a Project Manager for Special Exhibitions which included the Hall of Biodiversity and the Hall of Planet Earth.
The AMNH Vertebrate Paleontological Collection is one of the largest and most diverse collections of vertebrate fossils found in the world. The collection itself is housed on the first seven floors of a ten-story building. The eighth floor contains the prep lab and a small shop. Located on the ninth and tenth floors are the curator’s offices and the VP library. The museum’s entire fourth floor is dedicated to the public display of select specimens from the collection. As I walked with Dr. Lowell Dingus through the Fourth Floor for the first time, I was amazed not only by the specimens but also by the size and complexity of the project to be undertaken. The fourth floor would include a new museum library, linking bridge, five exhibit halls, and an orientation center for a total of 66 thousand square feet of exhibit space and was to be completed in six years. Lowell talked about the scientific theory and evidence behind the new exhibit, how the halls were to be organized, and the importance of the museum to continue to display real fossil material.
In 1999, I formed my own company (Phil Fraley Productions, Inc.) with a core group that had worked with me at the American Museum of Natural History. In 2000, we purchased an 11,000 square foot building in Paterson, New Jersey, which was renovated into a fully equipped exhibit fabrication facility, Marshall Street Studio.
Phil Fraley Productions works with dinosaur bones in Paterson - YouTube
As our business grew we leased additional space in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. In 2012 we moved all of our operations to the Pittsburgh area. I retired in 2014 and the company was disbanded.
All of the work accomplished during these years was the product of a diverse group of skilled and dedicated individuals. This photo gallery does not include all of our team but is a tribute the many people who made PFP possible.
Field Museum of Natural History
Phil Fraley Productions’ first contract was as mount makers for this famous Tyrannosaurus rex fossil.
American Museum of Natural History
I returned to the AMNH when Phil Fraley Productions was awarded the contract to replace the “water effects” on three existing dioramas in the Hall of Ocean Life. We also restored the existing dolphin models and created new models of tuna, flying fish, and a school of mackerel.
South Fork Natural History Museum
Phil Fraley Productions worked closely with Evidence Design and the Museum staff to create scientifically accurate exhibits that encourage exploration and respect for nature.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History—Dinosaurs in Their Time
Phil Fraley Productions worked collaboratively with the museum to restore and remount ten significant specimens.
Steel and Science Bring Dinosaurs into the 21st Century at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Carnegie's Famed Dinosaurs Get a Makeover
History: Head Trip Carnegie's T. Rex finally makes it to his new home
Phil Fraley Productions prepared and mounted a privately owned specimen of Tyrannosaurus rex, nicknamed “Samson”.
Montauk Lighthouse Museum
Phil Fraley Productions fabricated and installed exhibits for four new permanent galleries at the Montauk Lighthouse Museum at the far Eastern end of Long Island.
Inwood Hill Nature Center
In 2006 Phil Fraley Productions worked with the City of New York to update and renovate the exhibits at the Inwood Hill Nature Center in upper Manhattan. Unfortunately, the Nature Center and their exhibits were damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
The Gray Fossil Site, located near Johnson City, Tennessee, is the richest depository of Late Miocene and Early Pliocene life east of the Mississippi. Phil Fraley Productions provided mounts of genuine and cast specimens of representative animals from the site.
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum
Phil Fraley Productions created scientifically accurate models of significant specimens for this new museum in Singapore.
Skidmore College’s Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery and the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) created, displayed, and toured Molecules That Matter, a unique exhibition focusing on the scientific and cultural significance of organic molecules in the 20th century. Phil Fraley Productions designed and fabricated the ten large molecular models for this exhibition.
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Phil Fraley Productions’ work for the Perot Museum of Nature and Science included preparation, conservation and restoration services, remounting of large specimens and the fabrication of a 20 foot replica of a Frenelopsis ramosissima tree.
State Museum of Pennsylvania—Marshalls Creek Mastodon & Triassic Diorama
Originally displayed as a plaque mount, Phil Fraley Productions removed the mastodon specimen from the wall, restored, conserved and mounted the specimen in a more dramatic, freestanding pose. We also designed, fabricated and installed a 40 foot long Triassic Diorama.
Flat Rock Brook Nature Center
Phil Fraley Productions was engaged to produce and install dioramas, models and taxidermy for “A Walk in the Woods” a permanent, interpretive exhibition designed by Evidence Design.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
This four-year project was comprised of a wide range of services on a variety of fossil specimens, including a T.rex growth series, a Triceratops, a morenosaur, and a Corythosaurus plaque mount.
Making Dinosaurs Come Alive! | How To Build A Dinosaur | BBC
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Phil Fraley Productions was contracted for a second time to disarticulate and remount the fin whale we had completed in 2009. We revised our mount and rearticulated the specimen into a deeper diving pose for its new location in the museum’s new glass entranceway, the Otis Booth Pavilion.
When we purchased our home in October of 2012 we loved both the unique architecture of the house and the potential beauty of the garden. In a way it seemed as if we had traveled back in time and were now going to assume the role of caretakers to an already established ‘mini estate’. The history our home begins in 1907 when Silas M. Ament commissioned Pittsburgh architect Fredrick G. Scheibler, Jr. to design a country home across the street from the new Oakmont Country Club. This home, known as the Ament house, was one of Scheibler’s first ‘artistic’ houses and it closely resembles cottages designed by H.M. Baillie Scott, a well-known English architect and artist.
In the 1920’s Charles and Marie Stroh Blue acquired the property and made modifications to the house adding an attached garage and an oval Master Bedroom in the Classic Italian Style. Because the exterior of these additions blends so seamlessly with the original structure it is thought that Scheibler was quite possibly involved. The Blues also purchased an additional property behind the house and demolished an existing home so they could add an extensive garden. The expanded garden design was clearly based on “Springcot” garden plans published in Baillie Scott’s Houses and Gardens (1906). Mr. Blue died in 1929 and Mrs. Blue continued to live in the home for many years. It was subsequently sold to the Fletcher family who lived there until 1970 when Lloyd and Barbara Kaiser bought the property. Mr. Kaiser was an enthusiastic gardener and many Oakmont residents remember his lavish plantings and garden embellishments.
When we moved into our home it had been vacant for many months. The house and grounds had not been maintained and were in a state of disrepair. There was so much organic material growing around the home that it was difficult to tell the difference between weeds and desirable plants. Garden structures and Mrs. Blue’s detached garage-greenhouse had collapsed from neglect and the weight of the overgrown foliage. Much of the garden infrastructure needed restoration and/or repair. As soon as we took ownership of the property we had nine mature trees that closely surrounded the house removed because they were growing into the basement, windows, roof and gutters. We cleared away the weeds, removed overgrown shrubs, invasive vines and pruned back shrubs that could be rejuvenated.
As we gained control over our garden we started a detailed spreadsheet that included each plant’s location, common and scientific name. Sometimes the identification was not easy. We discovered that some of our many trees, shrubs and perennials were unique specimens, rare in Western Pennsylvania gardens. During this inventory process we came to believe that Mr. Kaiser never met a plant he didn’t like. The diversity and abundance of flora made our heads spin with future possibilities. We had abundant plant material but felt the need to develop a cohesive garden design.
Painting is a metaphor often used to describe how to plan a garden. A gardener uses plants to fill the canvas with texture and color. In classical painting and gardening the relationship between background, midground and foreground factors into the composition. But, unlike a painting, a garden is not static. For everything there is a season and a good garden design considers how plants change with the seasons, how they will mature over the years, and how they respond to their environment. We inherited a strong garden foundation with ample garden architecture and plantings. Our garden had multiple stylistic influences including English cottage, classical European and the additions of an avid plant collector. Our primary challenge was how to integrate our ideas.
What were our ideas? We enjoy old things and feel no need to get rid of the old to bring in the new. Overall we wanted to nurture the garden we inherited. Our vision was inspired by Mr. Scheibler’s original idea of the ‘artistic house’. A home where the inside and outside are contiguous. We relocated many plants and some had to go. The majority of work that we did in the first two years was a combination of removing invasive plants and weeds, pruning trees and shrubs and when necessary, removing and replacing them with new plant material. Work on the gardens' hardscape required repairing and replacing stone steps and walls as well as sections of the wood retaining walls. The ornamental iron work, an architectural feature which tied the house and garden together, was restored and/or replaced.
We wanted a garden that was cultivated, full of color and texture but also one that facilitates and supports the health of our ecosystem. We wanted to live in harmony with nature, and believe it is all a balance. From the beginning we made a commitment to avoid the use of herbicides, insecticides or fungicides. We continue to hand weed and control garden pests without the application of chemicals. This means our property is not blemish free or weed free, and our lawn is far from perfect. Dandelions, clover, violets and other ‘lawn pests’ are all important food sources for pollinators. We welcome native volunteers into our garden including May Apple, Virginia Bluebells, Trillium, Dutchman's Breeches, Wild Ginger, Cardinal Flowers and Great Blue Lobelia.
After several years we realized the value of all the leaves we had been removing each fall. Now we compost these leaves and use them in our beds to mulch and enrich the soil. In our first spring here we discovered that toads were drawn to our water features for breeding and laying their eggs and our garden is now full of insect (and slug) eating amphibians. We are also fortunate to have a few snakes and hope that someday a turtle will make a home in the garden. Numerous birds call our property home and others stop by to enjoy the amenities. A red shouldered hawk flies in on a regular basis to take a bath or grab something to eat. We also encourage a diverse array of insects including beneficials.
We coexist with chipmunks, rabbits, voles, moles, and mice as long as they stay outside. We have used natural repellents and mechanical barriers to protect our plants when necessary. Deer have been controlled by the use of repellent sprays but this year we have had less success and are now considering deer fencing.
After we retired in 2014 we became certified as Penn State Extension Master Gardeners. This not only increased our knowledge of gardening but reinforced our commitment to native plants and pollinator friendly gardening. We added many natives and in 2017 our garden became Certified as Pollinator Friendly.
We often laugh at ourselves and say that we retired only to become full time gardeners. But the truth is that we enjoy the full time attention that our garden demands. Most of the work we do ourselves but we also depend on the help of others. We use Certified Arborists for our trees and have an ongoing relationship with a local landscaping company. They helped in the initial cleanup and now help us throughout the year beginning with the spring cleanup, mowing the lawn in the summer, and blowing the leaves in the fall so we can mulch them.
We can honestly say that we have never regretted our decision to embrace this beautiful home and it’s garden. Everyday we are greeted by the beauty and challenge of maintaining a living canvas. It is a rare opportunity and humbling experience.
‘Everything changes nothing stays the same’ — Heraclitus
Reference on history: Aurand, Martin. The Progressive Architecture of Frederick G. Scheibler, Jr., University of Pittsburgh Press, 1994, pp. 85-89.
