By Kathleen James
Photography by Hubert Schriebl
When Seth Bongartz was hired as executive director of Hildene in January 2002, he presented the board of directors with two theoretical options. Like many house museums across the country, Hildene was at a crossroads, suffering from declining attendance and revenues. Option one: Draw a 20-acre circle around the historic home and gardens, and sell the rest of the land to fund an endowment. Option two: Put the entire 412-acre landscape to work. Bongartz and the board picked the latter, and a new chapter in Hildene's history had begun.
"Looking back at Hildene 200 years from now, the greatest chapter will always be the first," says Bongartz. He's talking about the 1970s, when a grassroots group of volunteers raised enough money to buy the Lincoln family estate and turn it into a nonprofit museum. "It was an absolute miracle that they saved this place. They did everything right. They saved the house and gardens and they got the job done."
By the time Seth arrived, that original plan had served its purpose. "The board knew Hildene needed to change," he says. "House museums tend to be ‘Do Not Touch,' but the days of ‘Do Not Touch' are over. People want more to do; they're looking for activities that are hands-on and experiential. Our goal was to expand Hildene-to extend our programs across the landscape and throughout the year. I presented the board with a rhetorical equation: Does Hildene equal 20 acres or does it equal 412? We all knew the answer was 412, but it was important to understand the magnitude of the challenge and the opportunity."
Though he's just getting started on his long-term plan for Hildene, Seth and his team have already accomplished quite a bit. Since 2002, the annual fund has grown from $30,000 per year to $220,000. Attendance has increased, and an ongoing capital campaign has raised nearly $10 million. Roughly $4 million has been spent to renovate the former carriage barn-which now houses an elegant welcome center, museum store and administrative offices-and to build a new entrance on Route 7A, upgrade the road, revitalize the grounds and gardens, and construct a cozy new ski pavilion. But it's the impressive $2.5 million dairy barn, up and running this summer after several years of planning, that best represents the past and future of Hildene....
