Luckily, the museum has a talented team of preservationists and craftspeople dedicated to the cause. Below are a selection of projects that are underway on PEM’s campus:

Ropes Mansion (318 Essex Street)
Repairs to the exterior of the Ropes Mansion are underway, including restoring arches to the laundry yard and wooden elements to the porch. On the interior, reproduction William Morris-style wallpaper was recently installed in the bathroom.

Cotting-Smith Assembly House (138 Federal Street)
A soil repair and drainage project on the front of the Cotting-Smith Assembly House recently completed and a new selection of period-appropriate plants will be identified and planted in spring 2025. PEM will also be designing and replacing a missing balustrade that was once installed above the house’s portico but was removed in the early 20th century. How do we know about it? This detail was almost lost to history, but appears in two historic photographs in PEM’s collection.

Peirce-Nichols House (80 Federal Street)
In recent months, the fence at PEM’s Peirce-Nichols House underwent repairs following damage from nearby trees and several of the house’s shutters underwent restoration work. This spring and summer 2025, future projects at the Peirce-Nichols House include seeking certification approvals from Salem’s Historic Commission for the replacement of the roof and balustrades.

Crowninshield-Bentley House (126 Essex Street)
Work is underway to update the house’s mechanical systems, including the installation of a new HVAC and furnace system. As the weather warms this spring, the exterior of the home will be repainted.

Gardner-Pingree House (128 Essex Street)
Work is underway to repaint two rooms on the second and third floors of the Gardner-Pingree House as well as re-grain and varnish several exterior doors. New carpeting will also be installed on the second floor. With an eye to increasing accessibility, PEM also expects to conduct an ADA study of the house.

John Ward House (9 Brown Street)
A casement window restoration project recently completed and the last of the restored windows in the rear portion of the house will be installed this spring.

Andrew-Safford House (13 Washington Square)
In fall 2024, a shutter restoration project and a restoration of the house’s front portico and balustrade was completed. This spring, the wooden elements on the front facade of the house will be repainted.

Yin Yu Tang (161 Essex Street)
In 2025, Yin Yu Tang will be undergoing work to preserve its roof tiles and masonry walls. During your visit, scaffolding may be present and work may be actively underway. Please note that the house may be intermittently closed to enable this important preservation work. Thank you in advance for your understanding.