Sealed Environment: Climate Control of Historic House Museums

Horaceville, a nineteenth-century stone masonry historic structure in Kanata, was transformed in the late twentieth century from a farm residence to a public house museum. Today, it exhibits a permanent collection of furniture, paintings, and historical artifacts. The optimal environmental conditions for such collections are not always ideal for the building, leading to pronounced conflicts between preservation of the building’s historic fabric and the housed artifacts. Exhibiting a collection of artifacts in an older building, however, creates a new life and purpose for the building and at times saves it from demolition. This thesis will investigate and document the performance of Horaceville through scientific practices and cultural analysis, and propose ways to create appropriate environmental conditions for the collection without impacting the integrity of the historic structure of the building.