Mechanics Hall seeks $45,000 to conserve 21 portraits, leverage federal IMLS funds
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Summary
Mechanics Hall requested $45,000 in CPA historic resources funding to clean and conserve 21 portraits in its collection; the project is matched with federal IMLS funding and uses local conservation expertise. The hall said the multi‑year effort began last year and would continue through 2027.
Kelsey Miller, deputy director of Mechanics Hall, asked the Community Preservation Committee for $45,000 to clean and conserve 21 portrait works in the hall’s collection, which depict 19th‑century industrialists and civic figures and are exhibited in the concert hall.
Miller said the project already has partial federal support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and that the CPA funds would act as a local partner match. Work is underway and is expected to continue over multiple years; Miller described a phased approach (working on the worst‑off portraits first) and said local conservators are involved in the plan. The portraits tie to the hall’s public programming, including free or pay‑what‑you‑can events, and the applicant argued the collection’s conservation improves a public cultural resource.
No CPC vote was taken at Thursday’s hearing; the application will be scored with other projects and included in CPC recommendations to city council.