I would recommend that you contact the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA Harrison Gray Otis House, Boston, MA). Quite often, they are faced with the decision to accept historic structures and to preserve them as museums. Kind regards, Ware L.W.S. Petznick, Ph.D. ------Original Message------ From: Jan Gallimore <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: November 6, 2000 7:53:19 PM GMT Subject: Re: WHAT TO DO BEFORE CHOOSING AN OLD BUILDING TO HOUSE A MUSEUM? Additions to the list would be expectations for public use/volume including restrooms, ADA provisions, visitor amenities and fire-suppression/detection systems. These issues have major impact and cost implications. An excellent architect in the Chicago area is David Woodhouse. Janet L. Gallimore, Director Lake County Discovery Museum Greenbelt Cultural Center 27277 Forest Preserve Dr. Wauconda, IL 60084 Phone - (847) 968-3380 Fax - (847) 526-0024 [log in to unmask] >>> [log in to unmask] 11/06/00 01:27PM >>> Hello everyone, I've read some interesting information that comes from museum architects in this list. I have a question for them which I hope can be answered: When you choose a building -which already exists and has historical and architectural value- to house a contemporary art museum or an exhibition place (I'm thinking of places that exhibit contmporary art like Le Magazin in Grenoble, France) what do you have to be aware of? I have some suggestions but there may be some more things that have to be pointed out: 1. History of the building 2. Topography 3. Climate/ Weather 4. Foundation of the building (the supporting part of the structure upon which the building is built) 5. Constructive techniques 6. Materials used for the construction 7. Measures or dimensions of the building (to see if there is the necessary space to have an exhibition area, a store room, administrative offices, etc.) Are there more things to be aware of? I am finishing my thesis which is about the problems -museographical and non-museographical- that are posed by old buildings adapted into contemporary art exhibition places such as Le Magazin in Grenoble, France and many others. I would appreciate any help. Thanks in advance. Alejandra Coghlan [log in to unmask] __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. All in one Place. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ----------------------------------------------- FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).