A Sustainable Preservation Environment at the MOHAI Resource Center

FAIN: PF-255836-17

Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) (Seattle, WA 98109-4330)
Jason Young (Project Director: December 2016 to October 2021)

A combination of passive and mechanical measures to improve the storage environment for artifacts and archival materials documenting the history and culture of Seattle from the early 1800s to the present day.

The Historical Society of Seattle & King County, also known as the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI), requests $350,000 in support of the implementation of a sustainable preservation environment at the MOHAI Resource Center. Currently, fluctuating and sustained high and low relative humidity poses a long-term risk to the collection, and HVAC units are not properly functioning, resulting in unnecessary energy consumption. A successful planning phase supported by NEH identified the solution put forth in this application: constructing a wall to create two spaces within the library, allowing for more targeted conditions with less energy; replacing a malfunctioning HVAC unit with three, properly sized units; installing a Building Management System to allow better control of HVAC units; and installing fans within textile storage to combat stratification. When completed, consultants project MOHAI will maintain target preservation requirements while reducing electric consumption by more than 20% and will reduce natural gas consumption by 35%.