NEWS from the Village

For more info: Contact Shawn Hartley Hancock

Director of Marketing & Communications

413-443-0188, x 221

June 2, 2016

New funding awarded to Hancock Shaker Village for priority restoration

The recently installed access ramp at the Trustees' Office & Store at Hancock Shaker Village, above, one of many restoration and improvement projects being undertaken by the Village.

Pittsfield, MA...... Hancock Shaker Village today announcesreceipt of a grant of $110,000 from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund for continuing work on priority exterior restoration projects within the historic Village.

The latest round of restoration will address the Brick Dwelling, the communal living hall that was home to 300 Shakers for 100 years. The Dwelling's 142 windows and 111 sets of shutters, along with the structure's bell tower, are slated for restoration. Improvements and repairs to the building's electrical and fire-detection systems will also be made.

Hancock Shaker Village has other gifts and grant in hand worth $125,826. With the MCFF grant, the total devoted to priority restoration is now $235,826. These funds represent more than half of the anticipated $400,000 required to complete the slate of essential projects, says President & CEO Linda Steigleder. She hopes to reach the $400,000 fund goal by fall 2016.

Other funding is pending from The Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Trust and both the 2016 and 2017 Cause-within-the-Cause campaigns, which together will optimistically realize an additional $100,000.

The MCFF requires that the Massachusetts Historical Commission approve the Shaker Village restoration plan before releasing funds. The agency's approval is expected within several months, possibly sooner.

HSV will get valuable in-kind expertise from Cherie and Harlow Murray of Saginaw, Michigan, construction professionals who have long admired HSV and visit regularly from the mid-West. The Murrays will conduct a pro-bono condition report on the Brick Dwelling for the Priority Restoration and Repairs Project.

Highlights of the Priority Restoration

  • Restoration of doors, windows, livestock pens and fences in the Dairy Ell of the Round Stone Barn
  • Restoration and re-building of structural beams and window wells in the Round Stone Barn, and upgrades to its electrical and fire-detection systems
  • Modest first-floor interior repairsto the Trustees' Office and Store (The building is currently closed while these repairs are ongoing.)
  • Upgrades to the HVAC and fire-suppression systems in the Visitor Center
  • Interior renovation and HVAC improvements in the Discovery Barn
  • Improvements to the Visitor Courtyard (also known as the Fitzpatrick Family Courtyard), including drainage and hardscaping
  • Renovation of restrooms in the administration building and Village Harvest Cafe, and exterior clapboard and window repairs
  • Repairs to the fire and theft-protection systems in the Poultry House Gallery
  • Plaster repairs and painting in the Laundry and Machine Shop
  • Re-pointing of the Brick Garage

About Hancock Shaker Village

Home to several hundred Shakers for almost two centuries (1780s to 1960), Hancock Shaker Village is now an outdoor-history museum dedicated to preserving the Shaker legacy. Situated on 750 acres of picturesque farm, field, and woodland in the bucolic Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Village provides visitors with an authentic Shaker experience. This National Historic Landmark is an active museum housing a premier collection of 22,000 authentic Shaker artifacts (furniture, textiles, gift drawings, tools, and other artifacts) among 20 historic buildings.

Farming was at the center of all Shaker communities, and Hancock features a working farm and gardens of heirloom medicinal herbs, flowers and vegetables. Outside the historic Village is a modern visitor center, store and cafe.

Hancock Shaker Village offers a variety of programs, toursand workshops for visitors.

Hours, Tickets and Directions
Hancock Shaker Village is open daily from April 16 through October 30, 2016. Admission is free for Hancock Shaker Village members and for all children ages 12 and under (accompanied by an adult), courtesy of Berkshire Bank.

Regular adult admission is $20 (many discounts apply). Youth rate for ages 13 to 17 is $8. Field-trip visits are $5 per student for self-guided tours, and $8 per student for guided tours.

The entrance to Hancock Shaker Village is located on Route 20 in Pittsfield, Ma, just west of the junction of Routes 20 and 41. For GPS purposes, the Village is located at 34 Lebanon Mountain Rd., Hancock, Mass. 01237. Or, enter 1843 W. Housatonic St., Pittsfield, Mass, 01201 into GPS, then proceed a half mile west on Route 20 to the entrance.Visit hancockshakervillage.org for more.

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