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Relocate and Upgrade Archives Storage and Exhibition Space
The current space dedicated to archives storage poses a few key access obstacles and preservation risks.
The third floor gabled roof drastically limits the total volumetric space available for collections storage and their associated environmental infrastructure; prevents barrier-free access; and subjects the collections to a heightened risk of moisture infiltration due to potential roof damage or leaks.
Moving the archive to another location not directly under the roof would minimize environmental risks to the collection; maximize floor space, (with a diminished footprint and an increase in volumetric space); and, most importantly, fulfill multiple Stewardship Goals.
Focus on Preventive Conservation:
Consolidation of the collection in one location where items can be securely stored, efficiently processed, and safely accessed will enable archive staff to more effectively monitor collections conditions. Preventive conservation is the most cost-effective method to insure long-term preservation of the Hospital’s collection.
Highlight the Pine Building & in situ Collections:
Featuring the collections in the original and oldest wing of the Hospital strengthens their in situ value, improves the visitor and employee experience by streamlining the tour circuit, and highlights a space of significant potential for interpretation.
The current space occupied by the archives (in purple) and the Institutes’s library collection (red).
Relocating the archives to the first floor of the East Wing would provide a larger space for storage, consolidate all archives-related spaces into one space, increase opportunities for exhibition, and improve visitation and public access.
The East and West wings of the Hospital were historically used as open patient wards.
A new configuration creates a more comfortable and visible reading room, exhibition space, and reference library.
Amplify Opportunities for Scholarly Research and Exchange:
Enhanced collection access, study and classroom space, and improved exhibition and display areas will facilitate institutional partnerships and scholarly research. Improvements in these areas will demonstrate an institutional commitment to the resources and recognition of the Hospital’s position within the broader cultural and scholarly network.
Reinvest in Public Outreach Programs:
Relocation and redesign of the archive and collections spaces on the East Wing first floor is an investment in public outreach. By improving public access to the collections; enhancing exhibition and display capacity; focusing interpretation on the most historic areas and highlighting their direct relationships to the collections the Hospital lays the foundation for building a robust public outreach program.
Reinterpret Surgical Amphitheater
The Surgical Amphitheater is one of the most intriguing features of the historic site.
While the space has been restored, there is room to update its interpretation and make other relatively minor adjustments that align with many of the recommendations and stewardship goals outlined in this CMP:
Remove incompatible light fixture & interpret skylight as the primary light source.
Discuss the coeval design and evolution of surgical amphitheaters with hospital architecture, surgery specialisation, advances in anatomy and internal medicine, the emergence of anesthesiology, and the growth of medical education.
The Amphitheater poses enormous potential for education.
Update & Increase Web Presence
The evolution of the Pennsylvania Hospital campus can be illustrated and explored through 3-D mapping.
Technologies geared towards digital exhibitions and virtual tours have advanced significantly and provide an accessible way to share information with the public.
Investing in a new, virtual tour, web upgrade for the historical information about the site, and interactive online exhibits will help raise the profile of the site, provide a framework to incorporate and share new research and information, and boost engagement with the public.
Pursue Collaborative Partnerships
Pursue collaborative partnerships between the Hospital and other local, national, and trans-Atlantic institutions to feature their shared histories and the larger historical contexts in which each emerged.
Working with local historical, cultural, and educational institutions such as the American Philosophical Society, College of Physicians, Carpenters’ Hall, and Bartram’s Garden among others, will help raise the Hospital’s public profile as a key cultural site and scholarly resource.
As part of PennMedicine, there are likely opportunities to explore academic partnerships that encourage access to and analysis of the Hospital’s archives and historic collections. Co-hosting scholars, fellows programs, and interns, or embarking on shared exhibitions or speaker series could generate meaningful and timely dialogue around and through the site.
Exploring the connections between medicine and botany may open up collaborative possibilities with sites like Bartram’s Garden or the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. (Image: American Philosophical Society)
Focus on Preventive Maintenance & Conservation
Preventive maintenance is defined as
“A proactive, holistic philosophy for building preservation that uses records of frequent condition observations to identify the root causes of deterioration and mitigate the future impact of those causes through direct or indirect intervention to prolong the service life of the historic resource...When successfully implemented, preventive conservation is a philosophy for sustainable management that avoids capital interventions while mitigating the effects of active deterioration mechanisms on functional building components.”
Implementing a preventive conservation program requires that building components be in a stable condition, therefore it requires that any deferred or operational maintenance activities are addressed.
Adopt the Heritage Building Reinvestment Model
A Heritage Reinvestment Plan provides the basis for budgeting reserve funds for capital projects needed for preservation of an historic building. A Heritage Reinvestment Plan is an important supplement to other documents that inform stewardship of an historic building, such as a Preservation Plan, an Historic Structures Report, and a Conservation Management Plan.
Establish Dedicated Funding Streams
While it is understood that patient care remains the top priority for the Hospital establishing a dedicated budget or endowment that can support the operation and maintenance of the historic site will ensure that timely maintenance is addressed, costly issues related to deferred maintenance and material failure are avoided, and that other goals outlined in the Plan related to raising the public profile are advanced.
During the planning process, the CMP team developed the following funding categories.
PRESERVATION CAPITAL: Funding for major conservation projects; development of new research, interpretation and programming initiatives; other related upgrades associated with the historic Pine Building, landscape, and collections.
DEFERRED MAINTENANCE: Maintenance or repairs to fixed assets that were not performed as scheduled or in sequence, and are put off to a future period.
CYCLICAL MAINTENANCE: Routine, scheduled maintenance of building components, assemblies, and systems occurring on a predetermined interval to improve performance, extend service life, and preempt failure.
PRESERVATION MISSION OPERATING COSTS: Annual expenses associated with staffing, regular programming, collections maintenance and preventive care.
Enhance Engagement and Access to Gardens
Access and use of the gardens ties into the core healing mission of the Hospital.
Intentionally designed and continuously used as a therapeutic landscape, the gardens have nourished the bodies and souls of patients and visitors alike. By encouraging patients to use the gardens when appropriate, the gardens could enhance patient experience.
Awareness can be increased through use of appropriate signage, and multi-media wayfinding material, including websites, apps, and hard-copy brochures.
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