Newsletter - Winter 2024
From the Executive Director: Looking Back at 2023 and Ahead to 2024
Executive Director Susan Ouellette
This past year has been one of enormous work and tremendous renewal. The museum finally opened to visitors, and we were honored to host several holiday gatherings. Although we are now closed for the winter restoration work, we will reopen in the spring better than ever. In fact, in 2024 we celebrate a milestone: the 50th anniversary of the Gateway’s founding in 1974. Our Spring and Summer Newsletters will include articles on our history, including interviews with Gateway founders, early executive directors, and founding board members. All this will culminate with our 50th anniversary Gala in the Fall. We will provide more details as the date approaches.
As noted later in this newsletter, while we are pleased to be able to start our much-delayed renovation work, due to inflation we could not include the upgrade of our HVAC system in the project. As you can imagine, this work is essential for a museum like ours, which must protect significant paper records and material artifacts. Therefor we plan to launch a special fundraising campaign in 2024 to raise the money needed to implement this project. We believe we will need to raise $175,000.00 to complete the HVAC portion of the museum restoration. We will provide further details early in the year, and hope you will be generous.
Burden Iron Works Museum Reopens
Stained glass art work presented to Susan Ouellette
The Gateway was pleased to reopen the Burden Iron Works Museum to the public in early November after several years of being closed, first because of the pandemic and later due to interior renovations including new plaster walls and paint. We showed off our updated and reimagined space in a preview party for our donors, supporters and other special friends; they were uniformly surprised and delighted at the museum’s transformation. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of a gift from the board to Executive Director Susan Ouellette to thank her for all her hard work getting the museum to its current state. The piece was crafted by Gateway President Fred Alm.
Some museum highlights are new stove and bell exhibits, the reconfigured water wheel diorama, the dedicated space for precision instruments which will show off the unique Arms Dividing Engine and other items from our collection of Gurley and other scientific instruments, and the clearing of a former storage space for exhibits. Nearly 150 visitors came during regular visiting hours before the museum closed for the year December 15. We also hosted the holiday party for the Troy Cultural Alliance, to great acclaim. Over the winter we expect to install lighted display cases in the new Precision Instrument Room and make other changes and improvements. We plan to reopen the museum to the public next spring as soon as the contractors are finished with the interior spaces. Watch for further information on our Facebook page. CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO SEE FULL SLIDE SHOW.
Latest Phase of Renovation Project Starts at Burden Iron Works Museum
After nearly seven years of anticipation, we are finally able to announce that work has started on the renovations funded by our 2017 $500,000 matching grant administered by the New York State Historic Preservation Office. Local firm Bunkoff General Contractors was the winning bidder. Unfortunately, due to inflation during the intervening years, the grant will not cover the full scope of work as it was intended in 2017. Working with SHPO and Adam Bunkoff, it was decided to focus on exterior window and door restoration, rebuilding the front stairs, repairing the entrance to the basement and insulating the attic spaces. Bunkoff’s program for the windows is to remove several at a time and perform the restoration at their workshop. In the meantime, they cover the openings with insulated panels. This results in some dark rooms – a small price to pay for progress! Also, if the weather permits, the front steps may be deconstructed over the winter to get a head start on the new steps. The Gateway has applied for a bridge loan from the Community Loan Fund of the Capital District to be able to pay Bunkoff while we await reimbursement from SHPO.
General contractor Bunkoff setting up at the museum
Bunkoff crew at the musrum
Windows removed for restoration
Burden Water Wheel Mural Restored
The iconic mural of the Burden Water Wheel located at the foot of Mill Street in South Troy – about a quarter mile from the water wheel’s actual location – was showing its age due to more than two decades of exposure to the weather and a few additions by local graffiti “artists.” In the Fall the mural was essentially repainted by the original artist, local muralist Kenneth Clark. The mural now shines again!