Did you know that May is designated as Preservation Month? Preservation Month began as National Preservation Week in 1973. In 2005, the National Trust for Historic Preservation extended this national campaign to celebrate and honor historic preservation efforts throughout the entire month. This year’s Preservation Month theme is “People Saving Places,” and I can’t think of a better time to brag a bit about the preservation efforts that are addressed in the CSPM’s HVAC and Building Renovation project.Â
To provide the best collections care, museums must have a fully functioning HVAC system. Swings in temperature and humidity have a direct, negative impact on paper, wood, and other sensitive materials in our care. Replacing the old and failing system is the primary goal of this project. We are excited to start seeing the results. As the project is coming to a close, we’ve begun to turn on and test the system. We can already see the temperature and humidity begin to stabilize. It is so rewarding to achieve this milestone with our CSPM staff, contractors, and other partners. The public may not see the difference, but our artifact and archival collections will benefit from this change for decades to come.
While HVAC was the main reason for the project, we decided to launch a fundraising campaign to expand the visitor experience by rehabilitating the Division III Courtroom and Southwest Collections Storage. Rehabilitation is a term used by preservationists to refer to projects that preserve significant characteristics of a structure while allowing for new uses. These two areas have been closed to the public for decades and essentially untouched since the building was the El Paso County Courthouse. While functional to a degree, the spaces were in poor condition with plaster peeling from the walls, decorative elements missing, poor lighting, and finishes that actively inhibited museum operations.
One example of how we addressed rehabilitation is by saving wall plaster where we could but removing and replacing it where it had failed. We used pristine original plaster hidden away in a closet to match the original pebbled texture of the walls. This along with a new coat of paint makes the spaces feel completely different. We kept the historic chandeliers and added new track lighting that will improve the visitor experience as they view exhibits. Our talented contractor created a mold of the decorative corbels that line the space where the ceiling meets the walls of the courtroom and then reproduced them to replace to two missing corbels. I dare you to figure out which ones are new!
In order to make the Division III Courtroom useful as a gallery space we needed to remove the judicial furniture: the judges bench, jury box, and clerk’s desk. Preserving these features is less important since we already have the preserved and beautifully restored Division I Courtroom right next door. Instead of putting the beautifully carved bench in storage, we adapted it as the new reception desk.  When we reopen, the public will start their visit with greetings from staff and volunteers at the rehabilitated judges bench!
All of this work was made possible by our numerous project partners and generous donors. The preservation of the courtroom and storage area was funded entirely by grants and gifts. In honor of Preservation Month we want to give special credit to the History Colorado State Historical Fund. They provided the first grant funds for this project, and their support gave us the confidence to raise the full $1.1 million needed to complete that work. Â
Matt Mayberry, Museum DirectorÂ
Do you know your donation goes to preserving the CSPM’s diverse collection of artifacts and archival materials that reflect our community’s history? Donate today at https://give.cspm.org.Â