In FY23 the CPA awarded $95,000 to Wistariahurst Museum in the category of Historic Preservation for an in-depth engineering survey of the Main House, and the restoration of a chimney and the water-damaged wallpaper of a second story bedroom. Wistariahurst is a municipally-owned historic site, museum, cultural center, and archive. Wistariahurst is an historic estate built in Holyoke in 1874 and listed on the National Register for Historic Places, the Massachusetts Register of Historic Places, and is noted as a significant historic building in the Holyoke Community Preservation Plan (HCPP). The property is protected by a preservation restriction held by the Massachusetts Historic Commission (MHC). Wistariahurst’s presence contributes to stable neighborhood home values and also plays a crucial role in tourism and the cultural economy for the City of Holyoke. Wistariahurst’s public programs and offerings engage around 10,000 participants annually, with many more people enjoying the grounds and facilities on their own. Restoring Wistariahurst is a multi-year project with many stages. So far, using CPA funding, Wistiahurst has addressed significant electrical upgrades (FY20 and FY21) and the restoration of its historic color in an exterior painting project (FY23). It is now vital to complete an in-depth engineering study so the City and the CPA Committee can have a long-term plan for staging out the rest of Wistariahurst's restoration. Maintenance at Wistariahurst is facilitated by City-allocated funds, private donations, volunteer work, and earned revenue. The engineering survey, chimney repair, and the wall and wallpaper retoration structure is far beyond the operating budget for the museum. Here is a link to this
where this project was presented.
