Chenango museum gets grant to study building

The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
·2 min read

Jan. 12—The Preservation League of New York State and the New York State Council on the Arts have announced the Chenango County Historical Society and Museum has received a 2022 Technical Assistance Grant. The $4,000 grant will fund a building condition assessment of the museum's property at 77 Silver Street in Norwich, according to a media release. During this grant cycle, 19 projects representing 14 counties across the state were selected by an independent panel of preservation professionals. A total of $68,130 was awarded.

"We are incredibly grateful to the Preservation League and its partnering organizations for this grant," said Joe Fryc, Chenango County Historical Society operations manager. "The building condition assessment of 77 Silver Street is a project that has been on our radar for quite some time, and with these funds we can finally take the critical first step in giving the building the care and attention it deserves."

CCHS will work with LaBella Associates to conduct a Building Condition Assessment of the circa 1875 residential structure, the release said. For the previous 15 years, the facility served as the location of a second-hand bookstore on the Museum's campus. Since moving the retail space to another facility earlier this year, CCHS has been using the building to store artifacts from the museum's public teaching collection.

Depending on feasibility, the release said, it is the museum's intention to renovate and refurbish the building for use as exhibit space and permanent collections storage. Information from the building condition assessment will include details regarding the building envelope, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and safety systems.

Established in 1939, CCHS is "the primary organization dedicated to actively and comprehensively preserving the history of Chenango County," the release said. Admission to the museum is by free-will donations, with about 75% of public programming offered free of charge. Learn more at chenangohistorical.org