Work of the Department

Inspections, Monitoring, Condition Assessments, and Treatment

An annual inspection is conducted of the exteriors of 600 structures on 301 acres in the Historic Area. Every exhibition building also receives a thorough interior inspection. Inspections often reveal problems that require monitoring and assessment of the particular condition. Architectural conservators then create a treatment proposal to establish the extent of the problem, its impact on the historic structure, the rate of decay/deterioration, and measures necessary to correct the problem and repair the damage. Based on their research, the architectural conservators undertake treatments to arrest the decay and/or deterioration of building materials and repair the loss or damage that has occurred.

Preventive Maintenance

Architectural conservators ensure the preservation of Colonial Williamsburg’s exhibition buildings by using an efficient system of closing sites for preventive maintenance. The closing project is not simply a building cleaning, but includes carpentry repairs, painting, mechanical maintenance, conservation treatments, and curatorial changes, all within a two-week time frame. Implementation of the closings significantly improves the condition of the buildings by enabling Foundation staff to identify and treat preservation problems before irreparable losses take place.

Planned Preservation

In the concluding years of the 1990s, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation identified crucial issues in the care of Historic Area structures. Activities to address preservation issues at specific buildings were selected as a result of this analysis and designated Planned Preservation Projects. Conservation support is provided for all planned preservation projects. The architectural conservators participate in the design and implementation of changes required to upgrade heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, electrical, and security systems.

Collections Management

Architectural collections managers ensure the preservation of Colonial Williamsburg’s collection of architectural fragments and models. In a newly renovated storage facility, staff members clean, conserve, research, and catalogue a collection composed of 15,000 architectural fragments and 50 architectural models, while working with other members of the Division to develop a broader understanding of the eighteenth-century material world.

Special Projects

Staff members of the Department of Architectural Collections Management and Conservation are routinely called upon to share their expertise outside of Colonial Williamsburg. Projects range from consultations for homeowners of eighteenth-century houses to building assessments for historic districts after major natural disasters.