| GE-228523-15 | Public Programs: America's Historical and Cultural Organizations: Planning Grants | National Society of the Colonial Dames of America | Re-Interpreting Dumbarton House | 4/1/2015 - 3/31/2016 | $39,865.00 | Karen | L. | Daly | | | | National Society of the Colonial Dames of America | Washington | DC | 20007-3071 | USA | 2015 | Women's History | America's Historical and Cultural Organizations: Planning Grants | Public Programs | 39865 | 0 | 39865 | 0 | Planning for the reinterpretation of period rooms and exhibition galleries in Dumbarton House, a Federal home in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C.
Dumbarton House is part of the early history of Washington, D.C., specifically Joseph Nourse, first Register of the Treasury who assisted Alexander Hamilton in organizing the new nation's financial system in 1800. An advisory team of scholars and community members will refine humanities themes, design interpretive formats in the re-installed first-floor period rooms and second floor galleries, and recommend programming. Formative evaluation will guide final selections of themes and implementation. We will test these themes during the project: "Building a New Nation: Civil service during the forming of the Early Republic and connections to today's Capital experience," "Becoming Washingtonians: Social life during the time period of the Nourse Family's residence and development of Washington society," and "Women and Historic Preservation: The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America, the historic preservation movement, and preservation at Dumbarton House."
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| PF-230332-15 | Preservation and Access: Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections | National Society of the Colonial Dames of America | Installation of an Upgraded, Energy Efficient HVAC System for Dumbarton House | 10/1/2015 - 9/30/2017 | $300,000.00 | Karen | L. | Daly | | | | National Society of the Colonial Dames of America | Washington | DC | 20007-3071 | USA | 2015 | U.S. History | Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections | Preservation and Access | 250000 | 50000 | 250000 | 50000 | An implementation project to preserve a collection of furnishings, fine and decorative arts, and manuscripts at Dumbarton House, Washington, D.C.’s only house museum devoted to interpretation of the Federal period. To protect the collections, the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America would replace the house’s climate control system.
Dumbarton House tells the story of life in the City of Washington during the formation of the early republic and a new national identity. Recent failures in the 22-year-old HVAC system demonstrate that a planned upgrade, based on a thoughtful review, not a crisis-response, is a critical institutional responsibility. A holistic 2012 NEH Planning study has revealed that we are unable to efficiently and effectively manage the current system and we are ready to take the next steps in implementing a responsive, efficient system and operational approaches to serve Dumbarton House far better than the existing patchwork. This project proposes the replacement and improvement of the existing climate control system in the historic house in order to better protect the collection, the historic structure, and the environment. |
| PF-50272-12 | Preservation and Access: Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections | National Society of the Colonial Dames of America | Interdisciplinary Assessment and Plan for an Energy Efficient HVAC System for Dumbarton House | 10/1/2012 - 9/30/2013 | $37,965.00 | Karen | L. | Daly | | | | National Society of the Colonial Dames of America | Washington | DC | 20007-3071 | USA | 2012 | Interdisciplinary Studies, General | Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections | Preservation and Access | 37965 | 0 | 37965 | 0 | Planning for sustainable environmental conditions to preserve humanities collections in Dumbarton House, a Federal period historic house museum with holdings of furniture, fine and decorative arts, household goods, clothing and textiles, as well as books, manuscripts, and maps that document the history of Georgetown and Washington, D.C., in the early 1800s.
Dumbarton House tells the story of life in the City of Washington during the formation of the early republic and a new national identity. This project will explore and recommend sustainable approaches to collections care and preventive conservation for the house and its collections. Recent failures in the 21-year-old patchwork HVAC system demonstrate that a planned upgrade, based on a thoughtful review, not a crisis-response, is a critical institutional responsibility. Our advisors have voiced concern over our ability to efficiently and effectively manage the current system. An interdisciplinary team of sustainability, collections and energy experts will review environmental conditions records, and all assessments, and then explore and recommend a holistic approach to measured, responsive, system and operational changes. We expect requests for energy audits and a geothermal assessment. The team will formally recommend next-steps to the board for implementation. |
| PG-51266-11 | Preservation and Access: Preservation Assistance Grants | National Society of the Colonial Dames of America | Storage Shelving and Supplies for Dumbarton House Collections | 1/1/2011 - 6/30/2012 | $6,000.00 | Karen | L. | Daly | | | | National Society of the Colonial Dames of America | Washington | DC | 20007-3071 | USA | 2010 | Interdisciplinary Studies, General | Preservation Assistance Grants | Preservation and Access | 6000 | 0 | 6000 | 0 | The purchase of shelving and supplies to improve the storage of Federal-period fine and decorative arts and manuscript collections related to the history of Dumbarton House and the Nourse family that lived there from 1804 through 1813. The nearly 3,000-item collection is used to examine life in the early years of the Republic.
To appropriately house and store Dumbarton House [DH] collections to improve storage conditions in preparation for a move to permanent storage in a new, consolidated and dedicated collections storage space on site. Upon the advice of a collections care consultant we will purchase recommended storage materials and the Curator will rehouse the DH collection. This project provides immediate improvement to collections storage conditions while we go through the necessary planning steps to implement the fall 2008 CAP recommendations by Brian Ramer calling for DH to "prepare a collections storage plan that addresses space and equipment needs for a dedicated collection storage space." The collections items will be ready for direct transfer to new storage as soon as it is prepared, with no delays for object preparation and rehousing. |