Group reaches fundraising goal for museum
Date: 5/26/2010
May 26, 2010By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
HOLYOKE - The goal has been met and now Wistariahurst will receive a needed paint job.
Melissa Boiselle, the director of the Wistariahurst Museum, told Reminder Publications the fundraising effort by the non-profit group Historic Holyoke at Wistariahurst raised $100,000 for the painting of the home of the Skinner family.
Sherwin Williams will be donating the paint, she said. "They've been a wonder to work with," she added.
The last time the mansion was painted was in 1998, she said. A properly done paint job should last between five and 10 years, she added.
The contractors, who will be hired through a bidding process, will be required to scrape the home's clapboards clean of old paint, make necessary repairs, prime and then add the finishing coats of paint.
"The whole goal [of the painting] is a preservation effort," Boiselle said.
Boiselle estimated the painting will take about three months to complete, but the time frame will naturally depend upon the weather.
The bids for the job are due June 3 and work should begin shortly after the contract has been awarded, she said.
The color of the house will remain the shade of yellow it presently has, Boiselle said. She explained that previous analysis and research had indicated yellow was determined to be historically accurate.
