As the Marblehead Museum’s $1.4 million renovation of Jeremiah Lee’s Brick Kitchen & Slave Quarters enters its third year, some residents have begun wondering what’s taking so long.
The ambitious project, which began in 2021, aims to transform the historic 1768 structure into a state-of-the-art exhibition space, office and archive.
Despite appearances, museum officials say significant progress has been made behind the scenes.
“When people ask us about it, oftentimes they’ll say, ‘What’s taking so long?'” said Lauren McCormack, executive director of the Marblehead Museum. “I get it. It seems like it’s been going on for a while.”
The building, located at 157 Washington St. adjacent to the Jeremiah Lee Mansion, has served multiple purposes over its 250-year history. Originally built as Lee’s kitchen, coach house and slave quarters, it later became a West India goods store, grocery, fire station and, most recently, the beloved Litchman-Orne Print Shop.
The first two years of the renovation project were dedicated to intensive research and documentation of the building’s history, McCormack explained. This included bringing in specialists like architectural historians, dendrochronologists to study tree rings in the structure’s timbers, and archaeologists to excavate the surrounding grounds.
“We didn’t want to do anything to the building before we understood how it had changed over time,” McCormack said.
The museum has since made significant progress on structural repairs. The entire exterior masonry has been fixed, including repointing and removing lead paint. Inside, steel beam reinforcements have been added to address support issues that were not apparent when the building was purchased.
All windows have been either restored or replaced with historically appropriate versions. The roof has been replaced, and new electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems are being installed to bring the building up to code.
The project has received substantial financial support, including a major grant from the National Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures program and funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Cultural Facilities Fund. Local businesses and individuals have also contributed generously.
“To do everything we want to do in this building, we still have to raise probably another $150,000,” McCormack said. “It’s exciting but still daunting.”
The renovation will significantly expand the museum’s capabilities. The second floor will house a new climate-controlled archive and office space, doubling the museum’s storage capacity.
“We have over 40,000 pieces of paper and photographs in our archives right now, and we’re out of space,” McCormack explained. “It’s also an opportunity to put our historic items in climate-controlled, really updated, safe spaces.”
The first floor will feature exhibit space for semi-permanent displays, with the inaugural exhibit focusing on the history of slavery in Marblehead and the lives of enslaved individuals.
“We’ve been working with a project advisory team of scholars and public historians to put together what the initial exhibit will look like,” McCormack said. “We have schematics for a recreated space of what the kitchen might have looked like, along with exhibit cases and text panels.”
The museum is collaborating with design firms and plans to hire exhibit fabrication companies to bring these concepts to life. They’re also seeking a local Black artist to create artistic representations of enslaved individuals, as no actual images exist from the period.
“We did a survey in town of how people thought we should represent the enslaved people that we don’t have images for,” McCormack said. “Overwhelmingly, people said they like the idea of an etching or engraving, as opposed to silhouettes or costume models.”
The project team is paying close attention to language and representation in the exhibit. They plan to use terms like “enslaved individual” rather than “slave” and “enslaver” instead of “master” to more accurately reflect the nature of enslavement.
“We’re trying to be cognizant and sensitive to the language,” McCormack explained. “There will be a little plaque or text panel in the exhibit that speaks to this and why words matter.”
While the museum hopes to complete the project in 2025, McCormack cautions that the timeline remains fluid due to factors like grant schedules, potential supply shortages and ongoing fundraising efforts.
“If all goes well and we don’t run into any more roadblocks or supply shortages, hopefully by the end of 2025,” she said. “But anything could change the timeline.”
Despite the challenges, McCormack emphasized the project’s significance for both the museum and the community.
“It’s multiple things going on — construction, exhibit design and interpretation,” she said. “It’s probably the biggest project in my career, just the scale of it.”
