Heritage Consulting Inc. continues to develop new programs and services for historic sites and small museum clients. The firm has a particular expertise in organizational development issues, especially as they relate to historic sites and house museums. Since the publication of Ms. Harris’ book New Solutions for House Museums: Ensuring the Long-Term Preservation of America’s Historic Houses by AltaMira Press in 2007, she has spoken at more than 35 national, regional and statewide conferences and symposia about her work. The Pew Charitable Trusts has discussed her work in an article called "What to do about these Old Houses" found on their web site.

Ms. Harris was honored with a Mid Career Fellowship from the prestigious James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation to conduct her pioneering research on alternatives for historic house museums that are no longer viable. Since then, Ms. Harris has taught classes at several graduate programs in historic preservation and public history on this topic. 

Heritage Consulting has led or assisted others on the following types of projects:

• Reuse planning for historic sites
• Cyclical Maintenance Plans
• Feasibility studies
• Heritage Tourism Assessments
• Audience research projects
• Preservation Plans
• Case studies on reuse options
• Reuse plans
• Fund raising plans and strategies
• Public relations campaigns
• Assessment of heritage tourism potential
• Program development
• Organizational development consulting 
• Strategic Plans
• Research projects
• Speeches and articles on reuse planning for historic sites
• Alternate uses for historic sites
• Decision making processes for reuse plans
• Speeches and articles on house museums
• On Line Surveys for program development
• Assessment of historic house museums for sustainability
• Facilitate public meetings for assessment of alternatives
• Identification of options for reuse of historic sites
• Consolations with boards to assess alternatives
• Provide draft leases, RFPs, stewardship models and articles for reuse planning

 

Books and articles by Donna Ann Harris on House Museum Topics

  

New Solutions for House Museums: Ensuring the Long Term Preservation of America’s Historic Houses, published by AltaMira Press, April 2007
“New Solutions for House Museums” Preservation Colorado quarterly newsletter, Winter 2008
“Reuses for Existing Historic House Museums” Forum Journal, journal of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Summer issue 2007
“New Solutions for Historic House Museums,” History News, the magazine of the American Association for State and Local History, Fall 2007
“Saving Legacies, Saving Houses” article for Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums web site 2005
“Reinventing the House Museum” article for Preservation New Jersey newsletter, 2005

 Donna Ann Harris is quoted in the following articles

“What to do with These Old Houses,” The Pew Charitable Trusts Magazine, Spring 2008-an extensive article about the Living Legacy Project, for which I was lead consultant.
“Revitalizing America’s Historic Sites,” Monta Lee Dakin, Mountain-Plains Museum Association newsletter, Summer 2007
“Houses, Histories and the Future,” The Pew Charitable Trusts Magazine, Spring 2008
“Historic House Museums: An Embarrassment of Riches,” Forum Journal, Spring 2008
“Historic Homes Needs a Curator—and Tenant,” Houston Chronicle article May 1, 2008
“A Model for Historic House Museums Carter’s Grove Change is Model for Historic House Museums,” Virginian Pilot, January 29, 2008
“Preserving Historic Buildings,” Virginia Gazette, January 30, 2008
“This Old House,” St. Louis Post Dispatch, May 11, 2008
“Nothing Down, $0 a Month, Hammer Required,” New York Times, August 30, 2007"

"Is Baltimore Selling its Past?" Baltimore Sun March 24, 2012

"YOUR MONEY" TLC needed but no rent, for some historic homes" Reuters May 24, 2012

New Solutions for House Museums Book

Donna’s 2007 book New Solutions for House Museums: Ensuring the Long-Term Preservation of America’s Historic Houses is a “must read” in both the house museum and historic preservation fields.

The book is being used in graduate school classes in museum studies, historic preservation and public history programs across the country. Published by AltaMira Press in 2007, Donna’s book is part of a joint publishing agreement between AltaMira Press and the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) to identify important books in the field.

Donna has published articles about reuse of historic house museums in History News (the quarterly magazine of the American Association for State and Local History)  nd Forum Journal (the quarterly journal from the National Trust for Historic Preservation) from her research for the book.

Since 2007 Donna has been asked to speak at more than 35 national, regional and statewide conferences about her house museum research and consulting work.  Find out about why the house museum model for preserving older homes no longer works and Donna’s take on a broad range of alternatives to save these landmarks for future generations.  Order your copy today from Amazon.com.

Great Reviews of New Solutions for House Museums

The reviews of New Solutions for House Museums in professional journals around the world has been outstanding.

Here are all the reviews I have found of the book–note New Zealand and Australia both offered glowing remarks in their professional journals. Please contact us if you want to see any of these reviews.

• Review New Solutions, Cultural Resources Management Journal Winter 2009
• Review New Solutions Public Historian Summer 2008
• Review New Solutions Northeast Regional Office National Trust August 2007
• Review New Solutions Australia
• Review New Solutions New Zealand Museums
• Review New Solutions Mid Atlantic Museum Review

There are additional reviews of the book from these publications. Please contact us if you would like copies.

• Book review, The Old House Journal, June 2007
• Book review, Museum Audience Insight blog, January 14, 2008
• Book review, Staten Island Advance, June 17, 2007

Recent Research on Government Owned Historic Sites

In 2011 we completed a major research project for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency to assist them to develop policy solutions for some of the most pressing issues facing their 60 historic sites throughout the state. We completed the work in June 2011 and made a major presentation about the work with our clients at the 2011 American Association for State and Local History in Richmond VA.  If you would like to see a copy of our presentation please click here. We continue to collect case studies about government owned historic sites. Please give us any leads you have!

If you want more information about how we can help you, please contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

 

Update as of 7-3-12