See the State Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) feature on Hill-Stead as An Urban Act Project Success Story.


A Vision for Hill-Stead
In 2001, Trustees, Governors,
museum staff and volunteers
identified improving public access and
preserving Hill-Stead’s 10 historic structures and 152-acre property as pressing needs. Bolstered by funding from the State of Connecticut, and in consultation with Centerbrook Architects and Planners and Reed Hilderbrand Associates Inc., Landscape Architecture, the organization developed a Facilities Master Plan and
a Historic Landscape Report to articulate short- and long-term goals. One result was a $2.5 million exterior restoration project, completed in 2008.

Restoring and Stabilizing Structures
In 2003, work on the exteriors of the Pope Riddle House and Makeshift Theater included restoring and painting 174 original shutters, replacing one-third of the clapboard exterior on the 33,000-square-foot house, and rebuilding the Mount Vernon-style verandah, other porches, dormers and myriad wood features. Shown here: shutters suffering from wood rot, lost parts, peeling paint and broken hardware (right, top); all 174 units were moved to an off-site workshop for rebuilding, wood consolidation, hardware repairs/replacement and painting (results shown at right bottom). Choice of an historically accurate green outer coat of paint was made by curatiorial staff based on a conservator's paint analysis of colors over a 45-year period; this green dates from the 1920 period.

Reclaiming Landscape Elements
Hill-Stead blazed and mapped its walking trails and added amenities, such as 10 rustic benches. In 2006, the museum’s allée of trees, a signature element of the landscape, was restored to its former graceful design.

In June 2006, thanks to a generous donation from a Hill-Stead Governor and support from the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, Historic Preservation Division, Dr. Robert Thorson and a team of volunteers completed the first-ever inventory of the museum's stonewalls. The three-day undertaking involved measuring and describing over 100 notable stonewalls throughout the property. Dr. Thorson, Professor of Geology at the University of Connecticut and a columnist for the Hartford Courant, calls Hill-Stead's stonewalls "outdoor folk art."