Would anyone on Museum-L know of any research which might help us
determine the maximum visitor load (annually and at any given moment) is
appropriate for a historic house museum?

Drayton Hall is a National Historic Landmark in Charleston, South
Carolina, owned and operated by the National Trust for Historic
Preservation. It was built between 1738 and 1742, and it is in a rare
state of preservation--never electrified (except for our safety and
security requirements), no plumbing ever installed, almost unchanged
since it was built, except for minor alterations in the 19th century and
early 20th century. We have no plans to restore the building, choosing
instead to show the house in its unrestored state, unfurnished. It is a
magnificent example of Georgian-Palladian architecture, and we want to
preserve it for future study and appreciation.

At present, our annual visitation is around 60,000. We allow guided tour
groups of approximately 20 visitors in the house hourly (sometimes on
the half-hour during the spring), and we schedule bus groups and student
tours on a staggered schedule to avoid conflicts with the regular tours.
We would be very interested in opinions or studies which would help us
determine the maximum number of visitors we should allow in the house at
any one time and whether there is a maximum cumulative number.

Many thanks to the list,
Wade Lawrence
Assistant Director, Drayton Hall
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P.S.--I wasn't following the list discussion of UV filters for windows
of historic houses. Did anything good come from the discussion? We may
not be air conditioning Drayton Hall, and we may not have textiles on
display, but our paint is really taking a beating from the sunlight (not
to mention the humidity, the heat...)

P.P.S--Everyone who likes great architecture should drop in on us
sometime.