About Cultural Preservation & Restoration, Inc.

Cultural Preservation & Restoration, Inc. (CPR) is a professional conservation firm dedicated to the preservation, stabilization, and recovery of cultural and historical materials. We offer a comprehensive range of services, including conservation assessments, treatment and stabilization, restoration, object analysis, collection care planning, and freeze-drying services.

Our team performs both in-house and on-site conservation work, including the repair and stabilization of paintings, sculpture, monuments, and structural elements. We are equipped to treat materials affected by time, environment, or disaster—ranging from individual items to large-scale projects.

CPR works with a wide variety of materials and collections, including:

  • Object conservation

  • Archaeological artifacts

  • Paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts

  • Ethnographic and cultural materials

  • Natural history and anatomical collections

  • Military objects, books, manuscripts, and textiles

We proudly serve museums, libraries, government agencies, cultural institutions, historical societies, fellow conservators, and private collectors, offering conservation-focused planning and historic project coordination services.

CPR is a certified Small Business Enterprise by the New Jersey Commerce & Economic Growth Commission and adheres to the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC). Our team includes AIC-affiliated professionals committed to responsible, high-quality conservation of culturally and historically significant material.

Meet the Team

  • Gary McGowan

    PRESIDENT & PRINCIPAL CONSERVATOR

    Gary McGowan is President and Principal Conservator of Cultural Preservation & Restoration. He holds a Master’s of Museum Studies with a concentration in Conservation from the State University of New York. Mr. McGowan has over 30 years of experience conserving a wide variety of materials including decorative and fine arts, archaeological and ethnographic materials and historic monuments. In addition, he has experience in disaster preparedness and recovery as well as providing material testing on a wide variety of materials. Mr. McGowan has attained the distinction of Professional Associate from the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic works and is President Emeritus of the New York Regional Association of Conservation. Our conservation projects include archaeological artifacts, objects, sculptures, paintings, ethnographic materials, fine and decorative arts, historic cemeteries, historic military collections, natural history and anatomical collections, paintings and textiles.

  • Mary Alice Landis

    VICE PRESIDENT/CONTRACTING OFFICER

    Mary Alice Landis is Vice President of Cultural Preservation & Restoration and serves as Contracting Officer and Manager of Business Operations. As part of her position, she is responsible for human resource management, cost proposals, contract administration, budget management, and the development and maintenance of conservation databases. Ms. Landis holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Seton Hall University and has completed doctoral level courses at Nova Southeastern University.

  • Adam McGowan

    LEAD CONSERVATION TECHNICIAN

    Adam McGowan is a Conservation Technician with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from Pratt Institute. He brings a strong foundation in fine art materials and fabrication techniques to his conservation work, assisting in the stabilization, cleaning, and repair of diverse cultural artifacts. His background in studio art and craftsmanship informs his attention to detail and respect for the integrity of each object under his care.