Through shared heritage: how communities can adaptively use historic buildings as museums for education and community growth

The preservation of historic resources for their educational value is of great importance to modern America. Adaptive use is one of the most cost effective ways to preserve our architectural heritage while also providing space for new uses. One excellent use of an abandoned historic structure is as a community museum. Be it a museum of art, history, science, or culture, founding an adaptive use museum is a very logical and potentially beneficial way for a community to utilize its existing historic architecture. This combination of adaptive use rehabilitation and museum education, and the many advantages thereof is the topic of this thesis. Extensive labor is involved in the process of rehabilitating a historic building and in managing a museum in a way that most benefits the community. The purpose of this study is to educate community leaders about historic preservation, adaptive use and community focused museum management. Through the proper preservation of historic resources and the skilled use of educational facilities, communities can experience great socioeconomic growth. This study seeks to answer the question can communities benefit from adaptive use museums?