Improving Environmental Conditions to Preserve Collections

FAIN: PF-50139-11

Litchfield Historical Society (Litchfield, CT 06759-0385)
Julie Leone (Project Director: December 2010 to September 2011)
Jessica Jenkins (Project Director: September 2011 to December 2013)

An implementation project to improve environmental conditions in the society's 1901 Noyes building, the primary exhibition space for fine and decorative arts, furniture, textiles, and other historical artifacts that document the history of Litchfield. The building envelope would be tightened to minimize air and water penetration; energy-efficient LED lighting, climate controls, and an energy management system would be installed, along with compact shelving for the storage of collections.

The Litchfield Historical Society seeks a Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Implementation Grant to execute specific recommendations made by an interdisciplinary team of experts consisting of an architect, engineer and museum conservator. The project is designed to create a preservation environment that provides the best possible conditions for the collection with the least possible consumption of energy. The grant will repair degraded brick and masonry and repair and/or replace ineffective gutters and leaders; update and repair the existing HVAC system; install an energy management system to integrate HVAC systems of all four museum buildings; purchase PEM2 dataloggers to more effectively monitor conditions in each building; update and replace heat intensive lighting; install space saver shelving to replace outdated and overcrowded stationary shelving in the Collections Storage room; and purchase supplies to rehouse specific collections.