However, knowing the size and location of the shelves did not give enough information to produce a design for the reconstructed shelves.  Missing details included what type of wood to use, how the shelves were supported against the framing and how the exposed edges of the boards were finished.  In circumstances like these the Restoration Team first looked for similar details on surviving elements from the same period found at Montpelier because they were the closest possible match for the missing element.  Fortunately for the Restoration Team, a set of ca. 1764 shelves survived intact in a closet located off of the ca. 1764 Dining Room.  To design the new shelves, the Restoration Team recorded the construction and finishing details of the existing shelves and applied them to the design for the reconstructed shelves in the Upper South Passage closet.