AMHERST – Donors have successfully matched a $100,000 gift to the Emily Dickinson Museum, which will allow for the reconstruction of a garden conservatory that existed during the lifetime of the famed poet.
The museum announced last week that installation of the conservatory will begin in late summer, coincidentally a century after the glass house that was filled with shelves and lined with plants was dismantled.
“It’s thrilling to know that we’re now able to rebuild it using many of the original architectural elements, and on the exact spot where it once stood,” Executive Director Jane Wald said in a statement.
The challenge grant was made by a member of the museum’s board of governors who asked to remain anonymous.
The 102-square-foot conservatory was built by Dickinson’s father when the family returned to the Homestead in 1855 and was located at the southeast corner facing Main Street. Though it was taken down, three window sashes and an original door have long been stored on site.
Even with funding complete for the project, the museum is continuing to raise money for an endowment that will be used for upkeep, programming and horticultural consultation for conservatory specimens and museum gardens.
This is the latest project intended to restore the Dickinson homes and grounds their appearance when the family lived here in the mid-to-late-1800s. This has included restoration of Emily Dickinson’s bedroom and creation of an heirloom orchard.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
