Portsmouth Athenaeum

The Portsmouth Athenaeum will complete the final planning phase of a multi-year comprehensive initiative to preserve the integrity of its historic buildings while improving access to its collections. The athenaeum will engage a museum HVAC engineer, preservation architect, museum space planner, and collections conservator. This team will develop HVAC and fire suppression designs, complete specifications and equipment selections for a newly-completed space reorganization and collections storage plan, and produce construction cost estimates to support fundraising for the comprehensive preservation initiative. The project builds on the findings and recommendations of systematic studies and audits conducted since 2014 with funding from local, state and federal agencies.