Gibson House Museum 2014-2015 Annual Report

GIBSON

HOUSE

MUSEUM

LOCATION:

137 Beacon Street

Boston, MA 02116

617.267.6338

HOURS:

open year-round, visits by guided tour Wednesday through Sunday on the hour at 1:00, 2:00, and

3:00 p.m.

Reservations are required for group tours of 12 or more; please call 617.267.6338.

ADMISSION:

members free; adults $9; students and seniors (62+) $6; children (under 12) $3

MEMBERSHIP:

to become a member,

VOLUNTEERS

The Gibson House Museum is looking for volunteers. If you are interested in historic house museums and the history of the Back Bay, please contact us to discuss volunteer opportunities at GHM.

MUSEUM STAFF

Michelle Coughlin,

Museum Administrator

Wendy Swanton,

Curator

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Samuel H. Duncan,

President

Edward W. Gordon,

Vice President

Lorraine Hanley,

Treasurer

Susan Ashbrook,

Secretary

Jacob Barry

Jacqueline Blombach

Lance Brisbois

Frances Duffly

David R. Hocker

Nancy Holcomb

Lorie Komlyn

Ruth Ann Kupfer

Christopher Leich

William Pear II

Lauren Thomas

Katherine B. Winter

TRIP ADVISOR REVIEWS

"Step back in time as you enter this house. Everything looks like the owner just stepped out. Simply amazing tour. See what it was like to live in 1860. Full of antiques, a must see."

Reviewed May 2016

"A really interesting hour spent with a great guide looking all around a house still furnished with genuine furniture and items from [the] mid 19[th] c[entury]. The kitchen alone is a treasure trove, with cookware and utensils. Excellent."

Reviewed July 2015

"We were so glad we took the tour. It was truly a time capsule of Victorian Boston. Everything in the house is original-- that includes the furniture, carpets, wallpaper, bathtub, unique heating system, etc. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and seemed to enjoy sharing information about the house and family. A fun and unique experience."

Reviewed Jan. 2015

"Unbelievable!!! It was if we stepped back in time. I can't even begin to describe this house. It was more than a museum. Like a previous Trip Advisor reviewer stated (it was [as] if the occupants had just got up and left) and you were walking back in time. This place needs to move up on the list for must see attractions."

Reviewed Aug. 2014

Gibson Society, Inc.

Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2014-2015

October 1, 2014-September 30, 2015

The Gibson House Museum experienced a successful 2014-2015 fiscal year, with the completion of several restoration projects, an increase in visitation and college class tours, a vibrant roster of programming, and continued financial stability.

Highlights among completed preservation projects included the cleaning and repair of the entry hall's beautiful Japanese "leather" wallpaper and large landscape painting, respectively made possible by an Amelia Peabody Foundation grant and a generous donation by patron Robert Severy. Fundraising efforts to replace the worn red carpet in the entranceway, a further step in the master preservation plan, are ongoing.

Early in the year the digitization of the Gibson family photograph albums, funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant, was brought to a close, and a program planned to showcase these images.

This fiscal year saw a particularly strong programming line-up, including the annual "Early Baseball in Boston" event, author Maureen Meister's lecture on arts and crafts architecture, a presentation on "The Evolution of the Dinner Party, 1859-1954"--given twice by Etiquetteer Robert Dimmick due to its popularity--and a special "Family Life in Downtown Boston" tour offered in conjunction with the Boston House Museum Alliance. Other collaborations included a "Behind the Scenes at the GHM" tour with the Boston Center for Adult Education and a talk on Gibson House servant life given by Program Committee Chair Edward Gordon following a presentation of the Huntington Theatre's "The Second Girl." To prepare for the play, members of the cast and Director Campbell Scott visited the museum for a special servant-focused tour.

In the spring the museum hosted its Annual Benefit at the lovely Chilton Club. Honoring Anthony M. Sammarco, the author of more than sixty books on the Boston area and a longtime friend of the Gibson House, the benefit was successful on many counts. Earlier in the year the museum brought back the Repeal Day fundraiser, a popular program that commemorates the repeal of Prohibition and features the Charlie's Beacon cocktail in honor of Charles Gibson Jr.

The Gibson House continues to increase its outreach in various ways and to be an educational resource for visitors from all over the world and for students of history, architecture, art, and design. The museum has maintained a strong internship program, and this year introduced a new blog, highlighting stories about the Gibsons, their home, and their time period contributed by museum tour guides and interns.

The museum's efforts have been attracting increasing media notice, and 2014-2015 saw the Gibson House highlighted in a documentary film on Booker T. Washington and a feature article in Harvard magazine.

Finally, the museum introduced a new logo, contributed by graphic designer Jim Hood. Incorporating the words "historic-authentic-illuminating," we think it describes the museum to a tee.

Thank you for your interest in this historic treasure! We appreciate your past generosity and hope you will continue your support.

Sincerely,

Michelle Coughlin
Museum Administrator

Photo by Mary Prince, Mary Prince Photography

Gibson House Museum Treasurer's Report

by Robert Goodof

For the 2014-2015 fiscal year, the Gibson House Museum operated at a $7,265 surplus, versus a budgeted $4,400 deficit and a $1,500 surplus in FY 2014. The most important contributors to this performance were above-budget Annual Benefit receipts, other non-board support, and facility rental. Better admissions/tour receipts, lower program and guide expenses, and absence of unplanned maintenance expenses also contributed to the much-improved results.

More specifically, financial support from all other sources exceeded forecasts by $9,400, and was $6,500 above the prior year. Admissions/tours and program receipts were $2,800 ahead of plan and $4,200 above the prior year, while program expenses were $600 below plan and flat versus 2013-2014.

As a result of the strong contribution and operating results, only $3,750 was withdrawn from the endowment, versus a $10,200 budget. This included $1,000 for gutter repair from the winter storms.

The endowment balance, at fiscal year-end, was $306,000, including $24,250 in restricted funds, versus $315,000 and $44,000 in restricted funds. Cash (on hand and checking) was $2,200 versus at around $3,400 at the end of FY 2013-2014.

The Gibson House completed funding and execution of the $7,500 IMLS grant for digitization of the family photograph albums, and also completed the wallpaper restoration project, on time and under budget. As a result, the grantor, the Amelia Peabody Foundation, has allowed the museum to use the balance for restoration of the front hallway's carpet.

The Gibson House is now operating on a financially stable basis, although there are a number of opportunities to improve the museum's contribution to the neighborhood and its mission, given greater financial and labor resources. The museum has added a part-time Museum Assistant, thanks to specific support from generous donors Rosamond Allen and Linda and F. Towne Allen. This has allowed our Museum Administrator to focus on other activities, including local outreach. In an effort to develop more permanent financial security, a committee has been formed to explore and develop options for a more sustainable Gibson House.

Photo by John Woolf

Contributors

1859 Club

Rosamond Allen and Paul Landry

Linda and F. Towne Allen

Susan Ashbrook and Fritz Casselman

Jacqueline Blombach and Michael Duca

Frances and Thomas C. Duffly

Nancy Jane and Samuel H. Duncan

Nelson Gifford

Diane Gipson

Cindy and Robert S. Goodof

David R. Hocker

Ruth Ann Kupfer

Judith and Christopher Leich

Mary Hammond Norton

Payne│Bouchier Fine Builders

Lauren Thomas and Peter Der Manuelian

Trust for Seminarians

Katherine B. Winter

Donors for Fiscal Year 2014-2015

Robert J. Allison

Malina Amand

Elizabeth Ames

Desiree and Jacob Barry

Lance Brisbois

Ronald Brooks

Jonathan Butler

Mrs. Lewis P. Cabot

Cesidio L. Cedrone and Anthony M. Sammarco

Elizabeth Chace-Marino

Mark Chadbourne

Francine and Bill Crawford

Catherine Davis

Carol and Richard Daynard

Nancy Devereaux

Robert B. Dimmick

Sheila and Charles Donahue

Richard Doring

John Duncan (California)

John Duncan (Connecticut)

Jacqueline and Stephen Feinberg

Gail Fenske

Fisher College

Ariadne and J.M. Forbes

Ernestine Gianelly

Cathy Gibson

Edward W. Gordon

Richard Griswold

Anne and Richard Groves

Lorraine Hanley

Donna Harshman

Nancy and Thomas High

Nancy and Norman Holcomb

Elizabeth B. Johnson

Mary Kane

Diana and Howard Kassler

Marilyn Kearney

Thomas Kershaw

Mary Kingsbery

Ann H. Kneisel

Lorie Komlyn

Joan and Donald Korb

Joan Christison Lagay

Mary Leen

George Lewis

James Mahoney

Jane Marshall

Mary Martin

Maureen Meister and David Feigenbaum

Elizabeth M. Mellett

Lindsay Miller and Peter Ambler

Sharon Miller

Phoebe Milliken

Venky and Jaya Narayanamurti

John Neale

Carl Nold

Melissa and Larry Norton

NVIDIA

Patricia Oswald

Loumona Petroff

Margaret Pokorny

Antonia Pollak

Susan Prindle

Patricia Quinn

Margaret E. Richardson

Robert B. Severy

Barbara Shea

Margaret and Peter Sherin

Nancy and Joel Solomon

Jeanne and Donald Stanton

Anne Swanson

Jolinda and William Taylor

M. K. Terrell

Mary Thompson

Marty Walz

Virginia White

Sydney Taylor Williams

John Wolfarth

Janet Younker

Linda Zukowski

Raffle and Auction Donors

The Boston Athenaeum

Boston Pops

Jacqueline D. Blombach

Philip Celeste/On Center

Childs Gallery

Michael A. Duca

Samuel H. Duncan

Frances Duffly

Friend of the Gibson House Museum

Edward W. Gordon

Gordon's Fine Wines and Liquors

Mary Ethel Grady/Willow & Urn Antiques

Ruth Kupfer

Karma Longtin

Anthony M. Sammarco

Shaker Workshop of Arlington

Katherine B. Winter

Donors in Recognition

Laura and James Allen Duncan, in memory of Henry Allen

In honor of Anthony M. Sammarco:

Jacqueline and Stephen Feinberg

Gregory Jackson and Peter Sanborn

Mrs. Jeffrey Marshall

Virginia White

Designated Donations/Matching Gifts

For part-time Museum Assistant:
Linda and F. Towne Allen
Rosamond Allen

Jacqueline D. Blombach for Benefit flowers

Sheila Donahue for Benefit musicians

Frances Duffly for purchase of guide books

Samuel H. Duncan, NVIDIA Corp. Employee Giving Program

In-Kind Services

Fisher College, for snow removal and lawn maintenance

Laura Gresh, for design of Benefit invitation

Mary Prince Photography, for Benefit photography

Janet Younker and Denise Crean, Garden Club of the Back Bay, for
exterior floral plantings

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MEMBERSHIP

Membership Levels:

Individual $50

One museum guest pass, free or reduced admission to most programs sponsored by the Gibson House Museum, newsletter, and e-mails of upcoming events

Family/Dual $75

Same as above with two guest passes

Friend $250

Same as above with four guest passes and a private tour for four

Sustainer $500

Same as above with six guest passes and an invitation to a reception with the museum curator

1859 Club $1,000

Same as above and an invitation to a private outing created for this level of membership

Student (18-25) $25

Free or reduced admission to most programs sponsored by the Gibson House Museum

The museum is a nonprofit organization; contributions are

tax-deductible.

Please make payment to: The Gibson Society, Inc.,

137 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116

617.267.6338

info@thegibsonhouse.org

GIBSON HOUSE MUSEUM

137 BEACON STREET, BOSTON, MA 02116

www.thegibsonhouse.org

Proceeds to benefit the preservation

of the Gibson House Museum

Second floor red study; photo by Mary Prince, Mary Prince Photography of Boston

The Gibson House Museum is an authentic Victorian row house located at 137 Beacon Street. Built in 1859, it is one of Back Bay's earliest houses and stands as the historic house museum of the Back Bay. The Museum is open to the public and preserved as a time capsule of the daily life of a well-to-do Back Bay Boston family and its domestic staff. The Gibson House Museum is a National Historic Landmark and listed on the Massachusetts State Register of Historic Places.

Gibson House Museum

A National Historic Landmark

Gibson House Museum 137 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02116

617.267.6338 www.thegibsonhouse.org info@thegibsonhouse.org