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Post by Museum Observer on May 13, 2009 2:15:50 GMT -5
Winchester Star 13th May 2009 The cost of the project has not been determined, Huyett-Kempf said. tinyurl.com/oaowwm
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Post by Bill on May 13, 2009 20:53:30 GMT -5
Winchester Star 13th May 2009 The cost of the project has not been determined, Huyett-Kempf said. tinyurl.com/oaowwmThe saga of CPC and the Museum they have proposed to create in Winchester for the past 16 years has been discussed here, and other places, ad nauseum. It's caused a lot of rancor among the fans, and I don't want to see that happen again. That being said, I am going to make a few comments. Regardless of all the rezoning that has taken place, the permits and permissions that have been granted, the problems inherent in opening 608 S. Kent Street to public access are still prevalent today as they were in 2002/2003 when this idea was first proposed and CPC entered into the agreement to purchase the house from the Adams family. There is a reason why this use of the house was later deemed unfeasible. What's changed in the 7 years since then? The house is now over 100 years old. It's seen a lot of wear and tear over the years, and is going to need a lot of work. In addition to the plans to restore the house to its appearance when Hilda, Ginny, Sam and Sylvia lived there, there will also have to be MAJOR structural modifications and reinforcements done in order to grant public access while not altering the home substantially that it would lose its National Historic Landmark designation in the process. Fire Codes, Handicapped Access. . . At best, if all of this is accomplished, only a handful of people would be allowed in at a time due to the space limitations. And, more than likely, they would only be allowed access to the four rooms on the Ground Floor. For those who haven't been there, it's a small house. I'm sure many who will take issue with my comments here will cite the public tours of Elvis Presley's "Graceland" in Memphis. However, there are only certain rooms on the 1st floor which the public can see. And, no one has access to the 2nd floor at all. And, it is a much larger house. I will not argue with anyone that Winchester finally needs to honor Patsy. It's way overdue. But, as fans, we've proven time and again that we can get too emotional when it comes to Patsy. As my good friend, Mark Willix, wrote in an e-mail today: I just hope no one's high expectations get shattered again. Bill
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