President Lincoln’s Cottage and Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center Historic Restoration

As the centerpiece of the property, the Lincoln Cottage was occupied by President Lincoln and his family seasonally over three years. The cottage restoration involved a painstaking return of the two-story, 34-room brick and stucco house to its 1860s condition and included all new mechanical and electrical systems, plaster conservation, lead paint abatement, and detailed finish carpentry.

The Visitor Education Center received a complete mechanical and electrical retrofit upgrade, new fire alarm and fire suppression systems, and restoration to existing plaster walls, ornamental cornice ceilings, and finishes. Existing vaults were removed to utilize the space more efficiently, audio/video systems and museum exhibits were installed to enhance the visitor’s experience, including a temperature and humidity controlled special exhibits room for precious documents such as an original copy of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.