In due time…..when I shall have paid the debt of Nature, my remains will rest here in your midst with those of my kindred and neighbors. It is possible they may be unhonored, neglected, spurned! But, perhaps, years hence …..some wandering stranger, some lone exile may erect over them a humble stone, and thereon, this epitaph, “He was Faithful.”
Project Documents:
Project Drawings Set #1 Architectural Set
Project Drawings Set #2 MEP and Landscape Set
Bid Manual
If you would like to view any Project Documents, please email SHM Director of Operations Mitch Maniccia at facilities@sewardhouse.org.
The Seward House Museum's Barn and Carriage House Rehabilitation will look to remedy almost a century of deferred maintenance with substantial preservation and rehabilitation. The project is funded through grants from the Environmental Protection Fund administered by the NYS Office of Park, Recreation, and Historic Preservation; Downtown Revitalization Initiative administered by the NYS Housing Trust Fund Corporation; and Save America's Treasures Grant administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
The first phase of preservation will begin with the removal of early 20th century additions to the Barn that both detract from its historic character and block the original entrance to the Barn's first story. The floor of the Barn will be replaced with a new floor structure and finish matching the original in material and dimensions. The original limestone masonry on both the Barn and Carriage House will be repainted, and all the original windows and doors will be repaired to make them operable.
With the foundation effectively reinforced and a new floor upon which patrons can walk, the goal becomes rehabbing the first floor of the Barn into a gift shop space with an admissions area and plenty of room for seating; in effect, serving the Museum nicely as a receiving, orientation, and event space. The basement of the Barn will likewise experience its fair share of transformative rehabilitation with the installation of electricity, plumbing, and finishes for it to be used as a maintenance area and workshop for the Museum's Facilities Department.
The Carriage House - aptly named for its original purpose - will once again house the Sewards' carriage, which remains in the Museum's collection. The carriage will be exhibited on the first floor of the Carriage House and will be accessible to the public year-round. The second floor, once used as an apartment for domestic help that worked for the Sewards, will accomodate offices for Museum staff.
