GARRISON, NY.- After nearly 17 months of intensive, emergency restoration following the sudden collapse of the library ceiling in April 2024, Boscobel House and Gardens will reopen its Historic House Museum on Saturday, August 30, offering limited Preservation in Progress tours.

These behind-the-scenes tours give the public their first chance to step inside since the emergency closure, and reveal a once-in-a-generation perspective: a historic house mid-restoration. Instead of Boscobel’s famously beautiful, pristinely appointed rooms that many remember, guests will encounter damaged rooms and the master craftsmanship at work to restore them. The experience offers an unfiltered look at the meticulous trades required to preserve this local treasure of national significance. This moment ushers in a vision for Boscobel’s ongoing evolution in the years to come.

“This is an extraordinary turning point for Boscobel,” says Jennifer Carlquist, Executive Director and Curator. “After months of heartbreak and hard work, we’re overjoyed to reopen our doors, but our restoration journey is far from over. By reopening now, we can welcome back and reconnect with neighbors and guests eager to return, while offering them something truly new and rare: a front-row seat to the art, science, and craft of preservation.”

What started as a single-room repair expanded dramatically when forensic engineering warned of significant vulnerabilities in ceilings throughout the house, prompting a full-scale emergency restoration to safeguard the building and its collection.

The Preservation in Progress tours are both a rare public-access opportunity and a rallying call for continued support. While reopening for Labor Day weekend marks a milestone, substantial work remains before Boscobel can be fully restored to its former splendor.

“In most preservation projects, you invest years of planning and fundraising before picking up a hammer,” Carlquist explained. “Gravity didn’t give us that luxury. The collapse set off a chain reaction that had to be addressed immediately to save the building and artifacts inside. With insurance coverage partial at best, restoration has placed a tremendous strain on our nonprofit budget and we can’t move forward without an influx of donations. Landmarks like Boscobel feel permanent, but their survival is never guaranteed—that’s why community support right now is so critical.”

Speaking on the significance of this moment, Morrison Heckscher, former Chair of the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and advisor on Boscobel’s restoration, states: “The essence of Boscobel is the house, a unique and altogether wonderful architectural treasure from our Nation’s early days. To forego the opportunity afforded by the recent ceiling collapse to bring this building and its surroundings into the 21st century would be a tragic loss to the cultural fabric of the Hudson Valley.”