Dear colleagues: [indulgence coveted for cross-posting]
It has been & continues to be a common notion that it is a good idea to house museum operations & collections in heritage buildings. Although this strategy may serve to bolster the heritage values of the building & museum purposes, to accomplish this impulse creates significant complexities, difficulties, & expenses to do it effectively.
For details identifying many cautionary tales & strong recommendations on adaptive re-use of heritage buildings to house museums, see the 17 August Critical Museology Miscellanea blog post "Extensive Additions to Crucial Cautions for Adaptive Re-Use of Heritage Structures for Museum Purposes" at https://miscellaneousmuseology.wordpress.com/2023/08/17/extensive-additions-to-crucial-cautions-for-adaptive-re-use-of-heritage-structures-for-museum-purposes/ .
Such high stakes projects are challenging, costly, & require strict attention to myriad planning & implementation minutiae that are absolutely essential to avoid problems in the performance of the renovated historic building spaces for the desired museum functions.
The author of the above podcast, Paul C. Thistle, has successful experience gained over the course of an 11-year project to successfully plan & supervise the renovation of a provincially designated historic site to house The Sam Waller Museum in The Pas, MB, Canada. He also has advised other museums located in heritage buildings about spring rains in storage areas caused by insufficiently planned installation of humidification equipment.
Thanks for thinking about these matters.
Respectfully yours
------------------------------
Paul C.Thistle
Director/Curator (retired)
Stratford, Ontario
------------------------------