PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Hancock Shaker Village has announced plans to begin construction in June 2025 on a redesigned Visitor Center & Center for Shaker Studies. 

 

This project follows several years of strategic planning, design work, and fundraising efforts. 

 

The new facility will include updated galleries, community event spaces, collection storage, and research areas for the museum's collection of over 22,000 Shaker artifacts and ephemera. The renovated building aims to enhance the visitor experience through improved orientation, expanded program offerings, closer access to collection items, and views of the surrounding landscape.

 

The project has dual objectives: to improve the visitor experience and to ensure the preservation of the museum's collection. The existing building will be reconfigured to include permanent exhibition galleries, climate-controlled collection storage, open storage for key collection pieces, a library, a new lobby, and multi-purpose rooms. The project scope also involves improvements to accessibility and visitor amenities, with the goal of expanding the museum's programming capabilities.

 

"This project has been a vision of the organization for 25 years," said Carrie Holland, director & CEO. "It's so exciting to see it finally come to fruition in such an impactful way. The features of this new building will enable some very meaningful and very exciting opportunities for us to share the Shaker story, explore the unique cultural legacy of the group who resided here, and preserve this special element of American history for years to come."

 

Hancock Shaker Village's collection includes over 22,000 items, ranging from furniture to textiles and watercolors. The design of the new building, by architects TSKP x IDK, will integrate the history of Hancock through its objects, highlighting Shaker narratives, artistic works, and the community that created and used them. This collection-focused approach is intended to provide context for visitors before they explore the Village's twenty historic buildings, where many of the objects were originally used and produced.

 

The planning for this project has been supported by Harlow and Cherie Murray, long-time supporters and members of the Board of Trustees at Hancock Shaker Village. 

 

"As we move closer to breaking ground for the Visitor Center & Center for Shaker Studies renovation the more excited I become," said Harlow Murray, who also serves as the Building Committee Chair. "Hancock Shaker Village has an incredible collection of Shaker artifacts that need not only to be protected, but also to be displayed and made accessible to the public for viewing and for study. The limited gallery space in the existing Visitor Center/CSS did not allow for that. This renovation will dramatically increase the gallery space and double the size of our vault collection storage, while protecting our unparalleled collection with state-of-the-art climate control."

 

The decision to commence construction in the summer of 2025 was made after the Village's Shaker Legacy Campaign raised sufficient funds to begin the work. 

 

"To date, we have received $8 million in commitments to the $10 million Campaign goal, so the need to continue to raise additional money remains," said Elissa Haskins-Vaughan, the museum's newly appointed Director of Development and Special Projects. "We'll be seeking funds throughout the year from both foundations and individuals who care about this incredible collection and the history that's preserved here."

 

The goal is that all visitors will leave the Visitor Center with a foundational understanding of the Shaker religious group and with guiding questions about Shaker values such as integrity, racial and gender equality, community, sustainability, responsible land stewardship, innovation, and simplicity.

 

This initial renovation of the Visitors Center & Center for Shaker Studies is the first phase of a broader master plan for infrastructural improvements throughout Hancock Shaker Village, aligning with the organization's strategic initiatives. 

 

Bob Plotz, Chair of Hancock Shaker Village's Board of Trustees, said, "I am beyond thrilled that, after several years of dedicated effort, Hancock Shaker Village will soon break ground on a complete re-imagination of our Visitor Center. The new Visitor Center is the first step in our master plan to improve the remainder of the entry to the Village."

 

Hancock Shaker Village will remain open and operational throughout the 2025 season, which begins on April 12, 2025, with the Baby Animals Festival. While the Visitor Center will be closed during construction, the operating team has developed plans to ensure a positive visitor experience, with construction activities limited to one area of the campus.