Institutional

This Baptist Church in Peterborough, New was built in 1841 and remaiHampshirened such until 1926. Since then it has been a home to various enterprises, from a Russian School of Ballet, to an Art Gallery, to the offices of the Monadnock Ledger, a local paper. Most recently it was home to the New England Marionette Opera Theater and Joseph's Coat Peace Crafts and now, after a successful restoration, is home to the Mariposa Museum.

Architect: Thomas M. Weller, AIA

Owner: Journey's in Education

Location: Peterborough, New Hampshire

Size: 4,800 SF GFA

Gutted by fire on New Year’s Day, 1999, the historic, fire-damaged, shell was adopted by “Downtown 2000” and laid dormant for the next two years. It was then purchased by the non-profit organization “Journey’s in Education”, to become the home of a museum whose mission is to use arts and crafts to teach and display the many wonders of a multicultural society.

The exterior of the building was restored, first by a local community group [Downtown 2000] whose reconstruction efforts preserved the structure from collapse and later by the current owner. The large windows were rebuilt using reproductions of the orginal sash, the two storefronts were reconstructed in wood and glass to resemble the original, the granite front steps reset and leveled, and the main doors were rebuilt to match the existing style.

Salvaged granite piers from the basement were reused as bollards in the landscaping of the pedestrian way.