New Solutions for House Museums: Ensuring the Long-Term Preservation of America’s Historic Houses

A generational shift is occurring at historic house museums as board members and volunteers retire while few young people step forward to take their place. These landmarks are also plagued by serious deferred maintenance, and many have no endowment funds. What will happen to these sites in the next ten years, and what can be done to assure their continued preservation for generations to come? In New Solutions for House Museums Harris examines possible options and provides a decision-making methodology as well as a dozen case studies of house museums that have made a successful transition to a new owner or user.

Donna Ann Harris has over twenty years of experience as an educator, program designer, and executive. She has worked in all levels of government and the non-profit sector in the historic preservation field. She has earned a Masters in Governmental Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Historic Preservation from Columbia University.