The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded the New Hampshire Historical Society a $350,000 Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grant. The society, a nonprofit organization that operates New Hampshire’s only statewide historical library and museum, will use the funding to rehabilitate its National Register-listed headquarters building at 30 Park St. in order to enhance the safety and longevity of the collections that it holds and exhibits while respecting and preserving the architectural attributes of the historic structure.
Replacement of the century-old building’s heating and mechanical systems will improve climate control within for the benefit of the collections and for reduced energy consumption. A combination of invisible thermal barriers and artificial lighting will make the building’s skylights more energy efficient while eliminating the damaging effect on the collections from the ultraviolet radiation that is present in natural daylight. By pursuing these conservation measures, the Society will reduce its carbon footprint by 75 percent, and its annual heating and cooling expenses by approximately 50 percent. These savings will be reinvested in the independent nonprofit’s programs, services, and staff in order to fulfill its mission to collect, preserve and share New Hampshire’s history.
The New Hampshire Historical Society maintains the most comprehensive collection of the materials of the state’s history. Assembled since 1823, when the Society was established to mark the 200th anniversary of the settlement of New Hampshire, the collections represent an unequalled breadth of subject matter and media. Including two million pages of manuscripts and 250,000 photographs as well as innumerable printed materials, the collections grew during the 20th century to embrace an unparalleled representation of New Hampshire fine and decorative arts.
The building rehabilitation project is part of the Society’s ongoing capital campaign, which to date has raised $5.6 million toward a $9 million goal.
