Iowa State University


Inside Iowa State
August 28, 1998

Farm House restoration postponed until spring

by Anne Dolan

The Farm House Museum, scheduled for exterior restoration this summer and fall, reopened Aug. 24 for the fall season. The restoration has been delayed until spring.

Museum curator Mary Atherly said the wet spring created a work backlog for local contractors and the university received no bids on the project.

"I was disappointed we didn't get any bids, but the people in facilities planning told me there is a lot of interest in the project. General contractors simply had trouble lining up subcontractors, for example, for the roof work, because of all the rain and storms last spring," she said.

Atherly said the university will solicit bids again near the end of the year. She said she hopes the restoration work can be done in March and April.

The restoration project includes replacing the stucco exterior and restoring the west porch of the Farm House. The repairs will ensure that the interior of the house, which otherwise is in good condition, will be protected from the elements. The cost is estimated at $330,000.

Opening Aug. 24 at the Farm House was an exhibition of quilts, a few of which were 'signed' by their creators before being presented as wedding or other gifts. The exhibition is in conjunction with an ACTORS Theater production, The Quilters, which opens in mid-September.

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