Bunker Hill Monument, Museum to Get Makeover
By Penelope Lane, Correspondent, Boston Globe, November 13-19, 2004
As part of an ambitious project to refurbish the Bunker Hill Monument, the Bunker Hill Museum, located just across the street from the monument site, will undergo a complete makeover.
As a component of the project which has $3.1 million in funding from the National Park Service, $500,000 from the Massachusetts Grand Lodge of Freemasons and $100,000 from Osram Sylvania, the plans for the museum include completely rehabilitating the building, installing new exhibits and offering an audio-visual program.
Sean Hennessey, public affairs officer for the Boston National Historical Park, says that contracts will be put to bid early in the new year, with construction beginning in the spring.
For nearly a quarter of a century, the Bunker Hill Museum was a labor of love for the Charlestown Historical Society (CHS). Born as part of BostonŐs Bicentennial celebrations , the museum opened in a former branch of the Boston Public Library June 17, 1975 Đ Bunker Hill Day. According to CHS president Arthur Hurley, the hard work of both longtime Charlestown residents and newcomers kept the museum up and running, and about six years ago, the current partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and the City of Boston was created. The city continues to own the building but has given a long-term lease to the NPS.
The draft construction plans, which have been prepared by Goody, Clancy and Associates, call for no changes to the exterior of the brick building although it will be made handicapped-accessible. The most noticeable differences in the building will be the meeting spaces for school groups and especially the newly designed exhibit spaces where, in addition to exhibits featuring the history of Charlestown and the building of the monument, the Battle of Bunker Hill will be a primary focus. Wondercabinet Interpretive Design of Lexington is responsible for the exhibits and, says exhibit designer Neal Mayer, the intent is to inform visitors sufficiently about the context in which the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought, the issues on both sides of the conflict and the events of the day. That way they will have a new appreciation of the strategic importance of the battle and its role in the conduct of the Revolution. The dioramas depicting scenes of the battle, currently housed in the visitorŐs center at the base of the monument, will be moved to the museum and incorporated in the new exhibits. The audio-visual portion of the exhibit will be developed by Northern Light Productions of Boston. CHS will continue both to be housed in the building and to mount occasional temporary exhibits, the first of which will feature the Irish in Charlestown from colonial time through the building of St. Francis de Sales Church.
"The reanimated Bunker Hill Museum will have compelling interpretive and interactive exhibits and more extensive displays of historical artifacts to better tell the story of the dramatic events of June 17, 1775," says Terry Savage, superintendent of Boston National Historical Park.
"The refreshed facility, we hope, will provide a worthwhile resource not only to the 200,000 annual visitors to the site, but to the Charlestown community, which takes such pride in its role in our nationŐs history."The other two pieces of the Bunker Hill project include repairs and additions to the infrastructure of the monument and the visitorŐs center, also known as Bunker Hill Lodge. The monument, completed in 1843, suffers particularly from water leaks that make its staircase difficult to master under the best of circumstances, icy and unusable during the winter months. Its exterior granite will be completely repointed. With the diorama exhibits moved to the nearby museum, Bunker Hill Lodge, whose centerpiece is a stunning marble statue of Joseph Warren who lost his life defending BreedŐs Hill, will become a place where visitors can contemplate the sacrifices made on the site.
A new, accessible entrance also will be created for the lodge, and the existing wheelchair ramp around the perimeter of the site will be refurbished. But the change that will be most obvious to the public will be completely new lighting.
"The stunning new lighting that bathes the nearby Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge has in an impressive blue glow has made the lack of proper lighting of the monument even more noticeable," says Savage. "A well lighted monument will provide a valuable point of orientation, contribute greatly to BostonŐs nighttime sense of place and foster pride in the heritage of Boston, all while having minimal impact on the residents of the neighborhood."Completion of the project is expected in the fall of 2006.
Planned Exhibits
Images supplied by the National Park Service
The main or 2nd floor is proposed to contain exhibits highlighting the history of Charlestown, the Bunker Hill Monument and the commemoration of the battle.
The Charlestown exhibits will consist of a timeline of the town's history and a temporary exhibit on the history of the Irish in Charlestown. Other activities on this floor include an introductory exhibit, an information desk and gift shop, and a gathering area useful to school and tourist groups visiting the museum. New museum features include an elevator for handicapped access and an interior fire escape stairwell in a rear corner of the building.
The upper or 3rd floor of the museum is the locus of the Battle of Bunker Hill exhibit. The exhibit's centerpiece will be a battle description highlighted by a reproduction of a 19th century cyclorama of the battle. The subject matter of other panels will include British and patriot leaders and soldiers, Joseph Warren, and history's view of the battle.
Other features on this floor are offices for the NPS and CHS, respectively, and a CHS research room containing a study table and selected archives.
The lower or 1st floor is proposed to contain a meeting/lecture room, public restrooms, a kitchenette, storage space, and mechanical equipment.
