P E R S P E C T I V E
New Life for an Old Building
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Historic New England Fall 2012
factory buildings being converted to apartments and condominiums, the acquisition has been a sound investment. In addition to addressing its own collections care needs, Historic New England rents space to colleague institutions for the care and preservation of their collections. Today, Haverhill continues its renaissance, and Historic New England’s facility celebrates its one hundredth anniversary. Historically known as the Lang Building, this eight-story poured concrete factory is a contributing structure to the L. H. Hamel Leather Company Historic District and a vibrant example of how through adaptation, buildings that were the center of Haverhill’s economy in the
early twentieth century are spurring its renewal in the twenty-first. The building offers ample storage space for the collections. BELOW Historic New England’s century-old factory building in Haverhill, Massachusetts. ABOVE
Andrew Davis
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etermined to find affordable storage for its museum collections, in 1988 Historic New England began leasing space in a factory in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Located just over thirty miles north of Boston, the facility is convenient to Historic New England’s many sites on the Massachusetts North Shore and in southern New Hampshire and Maine. Over time, use of the space expanded to include curatorial offices, a conservation lab, and photography studio. When Historic New England purchased the building in 2006, Haverhill was at the beginning of revitalization. With a new garage for commuters across the street, and neighboring