WA 17: Libby Museum Restoration

This WA would provide $350,000 for engineering and stabilizing the Libby Museum building and getting estimates for further building renovations and repairs. Currently, the back wall of the building is at risk of collapse and it is dangerous to enter the building.

This money would not fund a full restoration of the building, but would provide the resources to prevent it from collapse, and enable the creation of engineering plans to fix it in the longer term.

This represents a first, critical, step in a longer range vision to renovate and revitalize the museum.

Below is a February 24, 2025 press release from Howard Lowe, from Wolfeboro Heritage Commission, which outlines past attempts to repair and revitalize the Libby.

Citizens Encouraged to Support the Future of the Libby Museum

Once again, Wolfeboro voters are being asked to approve funding for the Libby Museum, with warrant article 17 seeking $350,000 to stabilize and repair the building’s crumbling back wall. The five-member Board of Selectmen and the ten-member Town Budget committee collectively voted 11-4 in favor of this warrant article. Positive action is needed now to prevent the loss of this local landmark.

Two years ago, voters were asked to approve a $1.8 million bond request, which required 60% approval, and it narrowly failed to pass.

At that time, the non-profit Friends of the Libby Museum had worked with an architect to

develop plans for an addition to the museum that would accommodate a proffered collection of North American mammals. They had funding commitments from the public exceeding $2 million that would augment the requested amount in the bond. Most of those private funds were returned to the donors, but the success of the Friends fundraising was a good indication of public support and what might be possible if a new campaign were launched.

The Libby has been a fixture in the lives of Wolfeboro residents since 1912 when Dr. Libby

assembled a unique natural history collection and constructed a special building in which to

house it. The building was designed by Dr. Libby in consultation with a Boston architect and

constructed by the Doe Construction Company of Wolfeboro using local tradesmen and timber from Rattlesnake Island. It was typical of its time and the desire to make knowledge available to people from all walks of life. And Libby wanted to benefit the people of Wolfeboro.

In 1956 the Town of Wolfeboro agreed to take responsibility for the museum from Dr. Libby’s

descendants who could no longer care for and operate it. However, in the years since, the

building has fallen on hard times and needs immediate stabilization.

This year, three key factors are different:

1) The town is legally obligated to maintain the museum, and while issues with the building’s condition have been known and studied for over 20 years, only minor repairs and upgrades have been made. It is time to act.

2) While the town has paid a seasonal director to keep the museum open over the years,

significant privately raised funding from the Friends has supported programs, collections care, and much more since the 1980s.

3) The current Libby Trustees, the Board of Selectmen, now agree that the town should not be in the business of owning and operating a museum, and it is time for a new nonprofit

organization to take over the Libby. Fixing the building must happen first.

What lies ahead? Public expectations of visiting a museum have changed dramatically in the last hundred years. The past success of nature programming at Libby Museum testifies that today’s audiences want a more engaging and hands-on experience. Perhaps they want a more local focus for the collections, or different kinds of programs. But the terms of the Libby Trust are clear—it must remain focused on local natural history or related fields.

Please vote on March 11 and provide your thoughts and ideas on the future of the Libby

Museum. Go to Wolfeboronh.us, click on the Libby button at the lower left on the home page,

or click here to express your opinion on the future of the Libby Museum. Whether you live in Wolfeboro or not, your ideas are important to the museum's future.

The Wolfeboro Heritage Commission's Goals for Libby Museum

• Adhere to terms of the Libby Trust for a natural history museum and a protected lakeside

property for public benefit

• Engage the public in reimagining a compatible new vision

• Raise funds to accomplish this vision

• Make critical building repairs and reinstallation decisions

• Identify a qualified operating partner to operate the museum while the town retains ownership (as with the Clark House, run by the Wolfeboro Historical Society; and the Wolfeboro Freight House, run by the Lakes Region Model RR Museum).

• Attract new audiences to refreshed exhibits and expanded learning opportunities.