Restoration Projects
Visitors to Staatsburgh will notice that the restoration of the mansion to its turn-of-the century appearance is underway. Restoration of the exterior will require the removal of the grey gunite finish and the replacement of the deteriorated cornices and precast decorative elements. When completed, the mansion's exterior will be faced with white stucco, as it was originally. Ongoing interior restoration work will include the repainting of walls, the cleaning of marble and wooden surfaces, the conservation of the mansion's collections, and the reproduction of the site's extraordinary turn-of-the-century furnishing fabrics. Recognizing the importance of these fabrics to the overall interpretation of the site, the Friends have taken a leadership role in identifying and securing the funds necessary for the reproduction and have established a special Textile Reproduction Fund.

Exterior Restoration
Visitors to Staatsburgh will immediately notice that restoration of the exterior of the building has been undertaken. When completed in 1896, the stucco exterior of the mansion was finished with a cement wash that was ''brilliantly white''. Within a decade of the completion of the building, some structural failures occurred, probably as a result of the incomplete understanding of new building, technology. Repair work was immediately undertaken by the family. In 1938 ownership of Staatsburgh was transferred to New York State. In the 1950s the building was covered with gunite, a cementitious coating that required no painting but dulled the architectural articulation of the buildings's historic details. In 1988 the site began the process of returning the structure to its 1896 appearance. After a two-year existing conditions analysis, work commenced on the west terrace. Once that was completed, work on the south elevation was begun. This pilot project has been completed and will serve as a model for the restoration of the entire exterior of the building. Restoration work is ongoing.

Landscape Restoration
The grounds surrounding the mansion were laid out after the completion of the mansion in 1896. Because of their age, many of the maple trees that form the magnificent allées on the estate grounds are dead or dying. Work has begun on the removal and replacement of these significant landscape features. A special fund has been established by the Friends of Mills Mansion to assist with this important project.

Also undergoing restoration is the site of the estate's greenhouse complex. Although the greenhouses themselves were removed in the late 1940s, foundations of these structures remain. Guided by landscape archaeology reports, volunteers, AmeriCorps members, and site staff are meticulously recreating the pathways that circulated the greenouses so that visitors can better understand the size and scope of this important part of the grounds. Interpretive signs provide information to visitors to the area. Special tours are available upon request.

The Restoration of Mrs. Mills's Bedroom
The staff at Staatsburgh State Historic Site has been involved in the painstaking and long-awaited restoration of Mrs. Mills's bedroom - one of the most significant and elaborately decorated rooms in Stanford White's 1895 Beaux-Arts masterpiece. The room is once again resplendent with vibrant raspberry-hued wall fabric, carefully conserved furnishings, a new floor covering, and a crystal chandelier.