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(continued from page 75) 76 Lyn and John Muse's spectacular, neoclassical Preston Road estate. Casci also did the plasterwork for Nancy Dedman's French- inspired house, along with a vaulted ceiling for a private library inside Harlan Crow's historic residence, which was added in 2005. Kim and Justin Whitman's '80s-era Park Lane home, newly renovated by Wilson Fuqua, includes Casci plaster cornices in every room. "Plaster is like a ballet company or symphony," says Wilson. "For it to survive, you need patrons to support it." T h e b e a u t y o f p l a s t e r w o r k , especially with intricate molding, is that it's often more cost effi cient and accurate than carving wood, Marynick says. An artisan only has to carve the design A silicone mold for a plaster gargoyle Saws from every decade, dating to the 1930s Hemp has been used for centuries to give plaster strength. Casci buys its hemp from Panama. Mark Marynick, left, and Porter Fuqua, in their offi ce at Casci Plaster once for the plaster mold, then it can be replicated many times. Plaster is also more stable — hemp is added to give it strength — and won't shrink and split with temperature changes, as happens with wood. Plaster can be gilded, lacquered, or painted to look like wood, making it appropriate for historic restoration projects and ideal for fi reproof mantles. Marynick plans to build on the business Casci has already established. Its first website, casciplaster.com, launches this month, and there's a trip to London in the works to discuss a licensing partnership of historic plaster designs with the Sir John Soane Museum. "I think Porter and I will own Casci forever," he says. To that, Porter adds, "It's something to be proud of."