Love This House | Winter-Spring 2022

In our last project update, we shared that the major structural work of the Bicentennial Infrastructure Projects was originally scheduled to take place over the winter of 2020. However, due to the pandemic, that work was delayed to spring 2022. This unfortunate delay (despite no increase in scope) impacted the total project cost by approximately 20 percent, raising the project total from $10.7 million to $12.7 million. The Taft Museum of Art is committed to continuing this important preservation and is in the process of working to secure additional dollars to help us reach this new goal. We thank everyone for your support thus far—we are now 80 percent of the way to this goal! It is because of your gifts to the Love This House campaign and your continued advocacy that we can ensure the Taft Museum of Art thrives for another 200 years. We look forward to celebrating with you, providing further updates to the project and opportunities to host you on-site to see the work that is being completed. 

Our team of experts has made tremendous headway:

• A special casing has been completed to protect our Duncanson Murals. Vibration and other environmental monitoring is also in place to ensure that the murals will not be impacted by the work being performed on the exterior of the Taft historic house. 
• All window grates and shutters have been removed and a protective barrier is surrounding the house during the project. Around the perimeter of the house, scaffolding has also gone up!
• Repair and restoration are underway on the cornice and our intricate iron handrails. 
• Each piece of siding removed is being sanded down to remove the old layers of paint. We estimate that 75-85 percent of the boards can be preserved and reused. 
  
  

WHY NOW?

In late 2015, in advance of the museum's celebration of the historic house's bicentennial in 2020, the Taft commissioned an extensive review of the museum's operational and infrastructure needs. Key collaborators worked to create a master plan for the museum and to understand the needs of the collection and the needs of visitors. They identified and developed solutions for the complex problems of a 200-year-old home, and completed a thorough analysis of the scope of capital projects needed to maintain this historic house for the next century. 

WHAT PRESERVATION WORK IS OCCURRING? 

• All the wooden boards that make up the house's outer skin are being removed, and a vapor barrier is installed behind the interior walls. 
• Each exterior board is being inspected for damage and either repaired or replaced. 
• An updated heating and cooling system is being installed.
• Windows are being removed and repaired.
• Fire and security protection is being improved. 
• The foundation is being waterproofed and sealed. 
• All the work is being done while adhering to strict historic preservation standards. 
  
  

WHEN WILL THE HISTORIC HOUSE REOPEN?

The historic house and permanent collection will reopen in spring of 2022!