[MassHistPres] Converting historic buildings into "study houses", living history education offerings

[Annie Harris]

The Gedney House, Salem, MA owned by Historic New England and the Narbonne House operated by the Salem Maritime National Historic Site (National Park Service) are 2 good examples. 
Annie Harris
Salem, MA

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 29, 2012, at 9:25 AM, Paul Bourdon <Paul.Bourdon at GTC-BIO.COM> wrote:

> Hi Diane,
> 
> You might check out the Coggeshall Farm Museum in Bristol RI. They have a small ca. 1790 cape that has been restored with a separate  bathroom facility.
> 
> Paul Bourdon
> Southborough
> 
> 
> On 8/28/12 3:58 PM, "Diane Gilbert" <d.m.gilbert at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> Greetings to Everyone:
> 
> My outreach to forum participants is to find out which if any historic properties have been preserved in such a condition as to show the various layers of paint and wallpaper, the lath and plaster in various stages of deterioration, the beams and joists, the chimney and foundation, the intact cellar, including the repairs made by the owners during a building’s long life.  Preservation and restoration done in such a way with the installation of only necessary and obvious modern tools and technologies such electricity for an alarm system, appropriate lighting, steel posts to secure the building alongside the original post and beam materials ravaged by time, serving as didactic displays to tell the story of the building but no longer serving their utilitarian purpose because no longer strong enough to support parts of the house, etc.
> 
> All along, our vision for the 1762 Elihu Akin House in Dartmouth, MA, this year marking its 250th anniversary, has been to adopt the preservation philosophy outlined above for the building itself. Saving the Akin House has been a work in progress for a decade and fortunately this project has been the recipient of CPA funds.  
> 
> Preservation and stabilization with minimum restoration seem to be the best way to treat this historic building.  
> 
> Our organization, the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, Inc. [DHPT] has proposed the future use of the property as follows:
> PROPOSED FUTURE USE
> 
> 
>             DHPT intends to complete the interior restoration of the Akin House so as to restore its important historic architectural features, but also to leave open for examination portions of the structural improvements so that they can be examined for educational purposes, as an example of eighteenth century architecture and construction technique.  We foresee it being used for that purpose in conjunction with the Dartmouth public schools, to be incorporated in their curriculum, as well as by appointment with schools in other communities and other groups interested in historic research.  We believe it should be open to the public for the same purposes on a limited basis.  We believe that the structure should also be restored so that it is available for other public functions, which may include temporary exhibitions of historic and artistic pieces, meeting space for small groups, and seasonal use as a visitor’s center.
> 
>             All these functions require parking areas, handicap access, and restroom facilities.  Because the space within the Akin House is limited, we believe that we should consider the possibility of a second structure on the premises to have bathroom facilities, and examine whether such a structure would more efficiently and economically accommodate the meeting space function.
> 
> Most of you are probably familiar with the preservation work on the Strawbery Banke Museum and historic buildings in Portsmouth, NH.  By preservation, I refer to their Website for the definition below:
> 
> Preservation in the strict sense is simply the maintenance of an early structure as it has survived to the present moment. Because almost all old buildings have been altered over the years, preservation includes the retention of alterations which portray the evolution of a building throughout its history. Preservation does not involve further change to a building except for routine maintenance. Examples of preservation at Strawbery Banke include the retention of the 1807 dining room in the 1762 Chase House, the mid-nineteenth century Greek Revival elements in the 1811 Governor Goodwin Mansion, and the twentieth century bay window on the early eighteenth century Marden House.
> 
> I recently visited the Tenement Museum located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and noted that some of the apartments have been preserved to show cracking paint and layers of wallpaper, boarded fireplaces, original flooring, tin ceilings and wall coverings, and many other features which have deteriorated over time but essentially capture the building when it was vacated in the mid-1930s.  Other apartments have been restored as part of their programming to educate visitors on how immigrants lived in their three-room apartments without running water, plumbing, adequate lighting and ventilation.  The Tenement  Museum also inspired me, reinforcing our plans to use the Akin House as a study house and for educational programs, using the house as an authentic classroom for living history, 250 years of culture, applying the disciplines of anthropology and archaeology, with connections to the socio-economic challenges of various periods in our history.  
> 
> The Tenement Museum also prompted me to wonder how they can display rooms in a state of decay at a certain point in time without risking the further deterioration of the elements such as falling paint chips and preventing plaster from detaching from the walls.  I was unable to get any details about the hows of the actual preservation work itself so I am pursuing those answers, such as, leaving the  lead paint on display in various stages of deterioration without any danger to the air quality for the docents and the visitors. 
> 
> Another example of a “study house” is found at the Sinclair Inn in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.  You can search these museums online to find their Websites and more information.
> 
> All of the wordy details above to ask if there are such uses of historic buildings in Massachusetts.  The laws governing historic buildings and their uses vary state by state and country by country.
> 
> Any leads, thoughts, suggestions, advice much appreciated. Let me know if you’d like to get more information about the Akin House.  I will send to you individually through your email address since attachments are prohibited here.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Diane
> 
> Diane Gilbert, President
> Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, Inc.
> P.O. Box 87026
> Dartmouth, MA  02748
> 508-965-7265
> 
> 
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