Antiquarian Society puts a copper face on antiquity
RENDERING/COURTESY
This rendering shows the aged copper face the American Antiquarian Society plans to put on its Salisbury Street headquarters in Worcester.
The American Antiquarian Society is the holder of innumerous antiquities from the nation's history, focusing on written works but serving as a catch-all with items such as tea scooped out of the Boston Harbor following the Boston Tea Party in 1773. But that doesn't mean that the society is stuck in the past.
The society is planning an $18-million, two-floor, 7,000-square-foot expansion. This copper-faced addition will include a multi-purpose room wired for digital engagement. It also will literally elevate the society's restoration offices from the basement to a second-story space bathed in natural, and highly UV-filtered, light.
Wait. Did I just read something about a copper face?
Yes. The new addition will have a copper facade covering everything except for large windows letting light into the two-level structure.
Additions to historic structures need to be obviously new, said AAS President Ellen Dunlap. There are ways to do this in a subtle measure that still meet legal requirements, Dunlap said, but this was seen as an opportunity to draw attention to the institution that some people don't even know exists.
For those who are worried about the historic nature of the building, the city's Historic Commission has already approved the new look, exclaiming that the use of copper is in keeping with buildings from the era of the original from 1910 – even if not to this degree, said Dunlap.
And those big windows will allow people driving by on Park Avenue to see into the building and get a glimpse of some of the activity inside, breaking down some of the disconnect that currently exists with a wall of brick facing the main road the society's structure abuts.
Reaching the outside world
But the new space is not just about drawing attention to the society, but giving people more ways to access the wealth of information held within. The treasure trove of works contained in the organization's collection are often fragile and limited to viewing under certain conditions within the AAS main building.
While this ensure's the collection's preservation, it means a limited amount of people can access pieces of history that are both of vital importance to research but also exceptional teaching opportunities.
The society holds events to bring the general public and K-12 students in for educational sessions and scholars are able to access some documents online and also visit in person, but the new multi-purpose space will allow the society to grow those groups to up to 100.
It will be wired with cameras and other infrastructure required to broadcast these sessions all over the world. It simply isn't feasible for every scholar to make the trip to Worcester, said AAS Director of Outreach James David Moran. However, scholars and school groups will be able to access these through internet webinars.
“So we can beam people into this space – either instructors from afar or participants from afar. So, it will be very transformative,” said Moran. “This will give us a chance to reach out to the world in an exciting way.”
A bonus for the society is that it will likely be able to monetize these educational sessions as an additional revenue stream, said Dunlap.
Preservation and infrastructure improvements
In addition to the flashier, public facing improvements, the expansion will feature a new restoration space on the second floor. It is not only an expansion, but an integration of natural, UV-filtered light, said Dunlap. The current lab dates to the 1970's.
The basement of the expansion will also house a new heating and cooling system. With so many irreplaceable artifacts in its collection, keeping them at the proper temperature and moisture is key. This new system will replace an aging system and actually spurred on the entire project, said Dunlap.
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