Conservation Assessment and Environmental Monitoring at Fair Lane, the Estate of Henry and Clara Ford

FAIN: PG-50306-08

Regents of the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1382)
Mary Lynn Heininger (Project Director: May 2007 to October 2009)

Preservation planning and environmental monitoring at "Fair Lane," a National Historic Landmark, built in 1915 for Henry and Clara Ford. The historic house museum, with its original furnishings as well as period and reproduction pieces, is used to examine the Ford family's impact on American life. A recent NEH consultation grant is helping the museum develop interpretive planning for the site.

This project will re-assess the Institute of Museum Services' 1989 conservation survey, to determine what is still vaild, what has already been addressed, and conduct new assessments of rooms that have been opened for tours since 1989. This survey will help us set priorities for future conservation attention. We will also invest in monitoring equipment to help us assess temperature and humidity conditions over the seasons, so that we can know the extent of any environmental-condition challenges and address them appropriately. With the assistance of a Save America's Treasures grant, a new heating system is being installed this year; the monitoring will help assess the conditions that the new system is creating, and assess its impact on collections. Work would begin late in the first quarter of 2008, with the conservation survey completed by June 30, 2008. Monitoring equipment would be identified and purchased by August 2008, so data collection could begin no later than September 2008.