Work begins Monday to restore damaged Arms Family Museum

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Arms Family Museum will reopen Friday after being closed since January when a burst water pipe caused damage.

Sara B. Chase, a Boston- area preservation consultant, will start work in the Arms Family Museum dining room Monday.

The museum’s dining room sustained heavy damage after a water pipe burst inside a second floor wall Jan. 8. Chase will be analyzing the fabric, paint and plaster in the dining room as the first step toward repairing the damage and restoring the room to its original appearance.

Additional research and analysis will lead to the production of a detailed report on the various colors on the walls and ceiling, and a treatment plan for the eventual restoration work. Work on the dining room will be ongoing for several months. Repairs to the public areas on the second floor and lower level have been completed.

“Sara Chase brings invaluable knowledge and experience to this restoration project,” said MVHS Executive Director Bill Lawson. “She worked with our historical society previously, providing research and analysis on paint and fabric prior to the restoration of the library room ceiling in the Arms Family Museum in 1993. Her report will be vital to re-creating the original fabric coverings, colors and painting techniques on the badly damaged walls and ceiling of the dining room.”

The Arms Family Museum will reopen for regular hours Friday. The historical society will host a special admission-price weekend at the museum from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, to mark the 50th anniversary of the public opening of the museum. The museum opened Feb. 22, 1964. During this weekend admission prices will be the same as they were in 1964 — 50 cents for adults, 25 cents for children ages 3 to 17, and active members of the armed forces and senior citizens will be admitted free.

Visitors will see the dining room in its unrestored condition and learn about the work to be done in the coming months. A new exhibit, “Gotta Dance: Images from the Kotheimer Dance Studios, 1935-1956” also will be opening in the second floor gallery.

After the reopening weekend, The Arms Family Museum will resume regular hours of operation, 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday with $4 regular admission for adults; $3 for senior citizens and college students; and $2 for children 3 to 18. For information, call 330-743-2589 or visit www.mahoninghistory.org.

A former mansion at 648 Wick Ave., the Arms museum offers visitors a look at how the wealthy lived in turn-of-the-century Youngstown. The structure was built as a private residence in 1905 and retains its original decor and furnishings.

For information, call 330-743-2589 or go to mahoninghistory.org.