Building upon years of strategic planning, design work, and fundraising, Hancock Shaker Village will soon begin construction on a newly imagined Visitor Center & Center for Shaker Studies.  As the gateway to the historic living museum, this renovated structure will enable dramatic enhancements to the visitor experience through creative orientation, expanded program offerings, close encounters with elements of the museum’s extensive Shaker collection, and impressive views of the picturesque vistas unique to the site.

With a dual goal of improving the visitor experience and protecting the Village’s world-class collection, the project will reconceive the existing building, introducing permanent exhibit galleries, climate-controlled collection storage, open storage for some of the premiere objects in the collection, a library, new lobby, and multi-purpose spaces. The scope of the project includes significant accessibility and visitor amenity improvements and will create an extraordinary opportunity to expand and improve upon the museum’s programming. “This project has been a vision of the organization for 25 years. It’s so exciting to see it finally come to fruition in such an impactful way,” says Director & CEO, Carrie Holland. “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,” she added.

With over 22,000 objects ranging from furniture to textiles to watercolors, Hancock Shaker Village stewards an impressive collection of Shaker buildings, objects, and ephemera. The building, designed by renowned architects TSKP X IDK, will introduce the history of Hancock through its objects, imparting Shaker narratives, highlighting works of artistic importance and cultural complexity, and foregrounding the hard-working community who crafted and used them. This collection-driven experience will inform the visitor’s journey prior to entering the grounds where they will be immersed in the physical context: the twenty historic buildings comprising the Village, where many of the objects functioned and were made.

The planning effort for this project has evolved over several years, with consistent support and leadership from Harlow and Cherie Murray, long-time supporters and Board of Trustee members at Hancock Shaker Village.  Also serving as the Building Committee Chair, Harlow Murray, noted, “As we move closer to breaking ground for the Visitor Center & Center for Shaker Studies renovation the more excited I become. Hancock Shaker Village has an incredible collection of over 22,000 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 CSS/Visitor Center did not allow for that. This renovation will dramatically increase the gallery space and double the size of our vault, while protecting our unparalleled collection with state-of-the-art climate control.”

The decision to break ground this summer came after the Village embarked on a comprehensive fundraising campaign – the Shaker Legacy Campaign – that, while not yet complete, has raised enough money to begin construction. Elissa Haskins-Vaughan, the museum’s newly appointed Director of Development and Special Projects says, “To date, we have received $8 million in commitments of the $10 million Campaign goal, so the need to continue to raise additional money remains. 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.”

All visitors should leave the Visitor’s Center and step into the historic Village with a basic understanding of this religious group and with guiding questions about Shaker values that resonate today such as integrity, racial and gender equality, community, sustainability, responsible land stewardship, innovation, and simplicity.

This initial scope of work focused on a renovation of the Visitors Center & Center for Shaker Studies will help kickstart the initiation of a broader master plan of infrastructural improvements throughout Hancock Shaker Village aligned with the organization’s strategic initiatives. Hancock Shaker Village’s Board of Trustees Chair, Bob Plotz, said, “I am beyond thrilled that, after several years of dedicated effort, Hancock Shaker Village will soon break ground on a complete reimagination of our visitors center. We will enhance the experience of visitors by dramatically enlarging our exhibition space, enabling us to tell the Shaker story and exhibit more of our wonderful collection of Shaker art and furniture. This will provide better context for guests to enjoy our historic buildings and outdoor space. The new visitors center is the first step in our master plan to improve the remainder of the entry to the Village. This will include an improved café and gift shop, a pavilion for events and increased storage for our collection.”

Although construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2025, Hancock Shaker Village will remain open and operational for the entire season. The Visitors Center will be closed during construction, but the operating team has prepared plans to ensure visitors to the Village will have positive, immersive, and fulfilling experiences throughout the period of construction, which will be isolated to just one corner of the campus.