CT Grant Will Allow For 'Transformative' Upgrades At Cos Cob's Bush-Holley House

GREENWICH, CT — The Greenwich Historical Society is looking to use a state grant to fund critical environmental upgrades and further enhance the historical significance at the Bush-Holley House, one of the oldest and most historic structures in town.

The historical society was awarded a Good to Great 2.0 Grant worth $418,057 from the state of Connecticut. Funds will be used to support comprehensive upgrades to the Bush-Holley House's climate control systems, which in turn will allow the historical society to reverse a series of 1960s-era upgrades.

"This has been on our priority list for several years now to really address that part of our stewardship of the house," said Maggie Dimock, curator of exhibitions and collections at the Greenwich Historical Society. "To get a huge amount of funding through this state grant program, it's going to be transformative."

Co-administered by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and CT Humanities, the Good to Great Grant Program funds capital projects that enable nonprofit arts, cultural and history organizations to enhance visitors' experiences in meaningful and relevant ways.

"The Good to Great Grant Program is a competitive award program that recognizes those organizations that devote time and energy to planning strategies to improve the visitor experience," said Liz Shapiro, director of arts, preservation and museums at DECD, in a recent announcement. "These funds have been awarded to organizations of all sizes who demonstrate deep thinking about who they are as organizations, and what they could be if granted access to capital funding."

Located on the Greenwich Historical Society campus on Strickland Road in Cos Cob, the Bush-Holley House was built in stages beginning around 1728-1730, according to the historical society. It started as a one-room, two-story structure on a hilltop overlooking the harbor, which was instrumental for trade at the time.

Several years later, the main "salt box" house was added, and Justus Bush, a wealthy Dutch Greenwich farmer and selectman (no relation to the Bush presidential family), purchased the home in 1738. Justus' son, David, took ownership and added to the home between 1755 and 1777.

The house continued to expand over the years. It was home to at least 15 enslaved people who worked for the Bush family between 1790 and 1825.

It was also a gathering place for a group of artists and writers in what eventually became the Cos Cob Art Colony, the first American Impressionist art colony in Connecticut.

In 1957, the town of Greenwich purchased the house from Constant Holley MacRae and opened it as a museum in 1958. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991 by the National Park Service.

The museum offers visitors a glimpse at two distinct time periods through eight rooms: the New Nation, from 1790 to 1825, and the Cos Cob Art Colony, from 1890 to 1920.

Utilizing the state grant, as well as private donations and perhaps other supporting grants, the historical society is planning on installing a new central HVAC system, a high-efficiency furnace, upgraded electrical systems and better insulation.

As a result, the work will allow the historical society to maintain temperatures and humidity levels throughout the Bush-Holley House year-round, ensuring its collections from nationally recognized American Impressionist artists like Childe Hassam and Elmer Livingston MacRae, are on display in keeping with modern museum standards.

Additionally, the environmental upgrades will allow the historical society to reverse a series of 1960s-era renovations.

According to Dimock, a rear service staircase that dated back to the late 18th or early 19th century was removed in the 1960s to make way for a modern brick exhaust chimney.

Dimock explained that the staircase originally connected the first-floor kitchen to an attic space believed to have been used as sleeping and living quarters for enslaved people.

"That sort of whole back wing of the house would've been entirely their world of work and cooking," Dimock said. "Just the idea if we were able to eliminate the need for that old 1960s chimney, that opens up the possibility that we could reinstate that staircase. We could basically hone and further the way we interpret the idea of domestic labor and enslaved labor and the lives of enslaved people at this house, which is something we're doing more and more."

This wouldn't be the first time the historical society reinstated some old, historic features of the home.

In 2012, a distinctive window that was once removed was rebuilt and reinstated. The window served as a looking-out point for impressionist artists.

Dimock said the historical society is working with architects and environmental engineers on estimates and prep work before the project goes out for bidding.

Leaders have consulted with David Scott Parker Architects, the firm that designed the historical society's new museum and library building. The firm specializes in historic preservation-based projects.

"We're hoping at the very least, we're looking at probably a year out from doing any kind of public work at this point," Dimock said. "We need to choose the right time of year to do this kind of work from a weather standpoint, and also we want to be mindful if we need to close the house, when do we do so in a time that's least impactful."

For more information on the Greenwich Historical Society, check out their website.