CONSERVATION PROJECTS

Willowbank National Historic Site is undergoing a gradual transformation as the students and the supervising faculty associates conserve the existing richness of the site and adapt it for ongoing use.

Overall, the intent is to explore how both the tangible and intangible qualities of the site can be protected and enhanced. The estate has been a site of human habitation for 8,000 years. The question then is what should be done to keep alive not only the particular material evidence of this past history but also the more intangible quality of the rituals of habitation. It is the artifacts and the rituals that together create the cultural landscape of Willowbank.

An initial conservation plan for the site has been developed by the Diploma Program students, under the direction of staff. This plan will continue to be refined by successive generations of students, as they confront specific challenges and learn from previous experiences.

A recent project addressed the most critical structural issue – the active movement in the south and west stone walls of the main estate house. Now attention is turning to the rest of the stone and decorative wood features of the exterior and the principal rooms on the interior. The conservation projects must not only address the conservation of delicate finishes and decorative details, but also the numerous code issues related to life safety and accessibility.

Donors are welcome to explore with Willowbank the possibilities for financing ongoing restoration work. These projects bring donors into direct contact with Willowbank students and their conservation mentors, who use their summers to carry out specific conservation projects. There are many types of projects to choose from, ranging from wallpaper conservation to historic finish stabilization to hardware and lighting to sensitive contemporary interventions for libraries, classrooms and workshops.