The House of the Seven Gables annual shut down begins today

Every year the Gables shuts down for preservation and internal workings. Their 2019 shut down begins today and runs through the 17th. What are they working on inside there behind the closed doors?? According to their newsletter and website:

“The party is over – at least until January 17. Celebrations of our 350th anniversary continued right up until the end of December. Now it is time for us to take a few weeks during our annual shutdown and prepare for 2019.

From January 1 – 17, The Gables will be closed to visitors, but the staff will be doing anything other than a long winters’ nap. Each department has a list of goals to complete that range from preventative care of our collections to continued work on the HVAC project to staff development opportunities.

We invite you to join us on January 18 when we reopen at 10:00 a.m. to see our site sparkle!

Here are each departments top three goals during shutdown!

Visitor Services:
Finalize the organization of the Museum Resource Library
Implement a new software program that will help better schedule our staff of over 50 hourly employees more efficiently
Establish new training procedures for admissions and guide staff

Executive Director:
Putting the finishing touches on the new strategic plan
Create the 2019 organizational work plan
Work with our business manager to prepare for the annual audit

Collections Care:
Deep preventative care cleaning of exhibit spaces, including objects and textiles
Deep cleaning of collection storage spaces
Helping to prepare the Phippen House for HVAC installation

Marketing:
Preparing our 2019 events calendar for print and distribution
Updating our logo for 2019 and beyond
Revamping our office into a more design-friendly and collaborative workspace.

Development:
Planning fun member programs for 2019
Wrapping up 2018 goals and budgets
Researching and applying for grants

Settlement:
Creating an ESL curriculum for our programs, informed by our new assessment/evaluation tools.
Initial planning for Caribbean Connections 2019
Preparing for the Settlement Programs Strategic Plan process

Functions:
Working with couples to secure reviews and update wedding sites
Scheduling for 2019 and beyond
Create a series of procedures for booking, functions, and other tasks

Preservation and Maintenance:
Touch up painting in the Nathaniel Hawthorne Birthplace
HVAC installation in the Phippen House
Support Collections with cleaning projects in the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion”

Be sure to pay them a visit when they open the doors again! They’re one of my favorite spots in Salem and one I am always happy to recommend. Enjoy!! <3