Press Release: Saint Albans Museum Receives $70,000 Federal Grant for Window Restoration Project
The Saint Albans Museum (SAM) recently received a $70,000 grant award to support ongoing window restoration work. This grant is part of the Save America’s Treasures grant program through the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior. “We are thrilled and honored to have been chosen for this grant award,” said Simon Walter, the museum’s executive director. “This funding will have a significant impact on not just the windows themselves, but the entire museum building.”
The window restoration project is part of ongoing historic preservation efforts at SAM to make the museum building more energy efficient and resilient against extreme weather, while at the same time maintaining its historic character and charm. “Our building is not just a home for the artifacts in our collection, but an artifact of immense historical and community significance in its own right,” Walter stated.
The museum is located in the former Church Street Academy building at 9 Church St., St. Albans. The Renaissance Revival-style building was designed by Thomas Silloway, the architect behind the current Vermont State House, and completed construction in 1861. Museum volunteers and staff have recently spearheaded efforts to raise awareness of the unique needs of historic buildings. “Maintenance, repairs and restoration on historic buildings carry multiple additional layers of complexity and cost, which meant it wasn’t always possible for us to address building issues immediately as they arose,” Walter said. “The museum has gone through significant growth over the past few years that increased our ability to perform critical repairs on and improvements to the roof, north chimney, and now the windows.”
Funds from this grant will go towards the second phase of window restoration work at the museum. To date, twelve of the building’s original windows have already been cleaned, restored and weatherized. That work was supported by a 1772 Foundation Historic Preservation Matching Grant administered by the Preservation Trust of Vermont. The museum plans to use the Save America’s Treasures funding to add storm windows to the newly-restored original windows, improving insulation and adding a layer of protection during severe weather.
The grant requires a 1:1 cash and/or in-kind match, bringing the total budget for the project to $140,000. The museum will run a donation drive during the 2024 open season to raise matching funds. The Church Street Festival, an all-ages outdoor event first held last year, will also be returning on July 27th to raise funds for historic preservation efforts at the five buildings along Church Street, including the museum.
The museum welcomes questions, comments and concerns via phone at (802) 527-7933 or email at museum@stamuseum.org. The Saint Albans Museum is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.