The Healdsburg Library is not the only local public resource undergoing a renovation this spring. The historic Healdsburg Museum, located ironically in the former Carnegie Library building on Matheson, closed in mid-January and will remain closed until late March or early April for renovation.
The work began about the time the museum’s members and board met to review their efforts and successes in 2024, voted in its 2025 board of directors (including Patrick Mukaida returning as president) and selected four local buildings for the Historic Preservation Awards.
The Museum’s Historic Preservation Committee, headed by architectural historian Frances Schierenbeck and Executive Director Hollie Hoods, selected the Historic Preservation awards. At the evening meeting, Schierenbeck presented the ownership history of each building plus contextual background about the architectural styles.
Each owner talked about their work to preserve or restore their property. Community Services Director Mark Themig graciously accepted the City’s award for the Villa Chanticleer as Commercial Historic Preservation winner, and indicated that more building maintenance work is planned.
Brenda Bacchi received two awards for her work on her grandparents’ home, on Limerick Lane, which turns 100 years old this year. Lifetime Maintenance award went to the Bartolomeo and Clorinda Bacchi House, a Prairie house dating from 1925.
The second was the Adaptive Reuse award, given to the property’s former chicken house, now the “Chix Villa” guest house.
Corey Rawdon and Noah Jeppson are only the fourth owners of the historic Fried house at the corner of East and Plaza streets, winner of the Residential Historic Preservation award. The so-called Heartwood House, built in 1884, is described as “vernacular with Gothic Revival elements.”
“It’s not a true Gothic revival as it’s missing some of the essential elements of the style and has other styles representative (such as Greek Revival),” said board member Schierenbeck. “The original owner/building likely chose the form and decorative elements that appealed to them.”
Interior Work
At present, contractors continue to work on interior renovations that will result in a new exhibit space at the museum, made larger by the removal of raised platforms on two sides of the second-story gallery. A freestanding, movable wall system as well as new carpeting, electrical fixtures and display cases will be installed.
A new installation with creative input by experiential designer Noah Jeppson, to be called “Many Paths to Healdsburg,” will be situated on the east side of the remodeled interior. Jeppson, a recently named member of the city’s Arts & Culture Commission, has completed several exhibit design projects for the museum already, including the installation of the colorful lights array on the museum’s exterior.
According to Hoods, it “will present some of the important and relevant stories of Healdsburg history that visitors and locals want to learn about. The Many Paths feature will be a semi-permanent exhibition that will be updated annually to stay fresh and relevant.”
Hoods added, “When we reopen the Museum in the spring, we will reopen with an exhibition of contemporary Pomo basket weaving and art, guest curated by Silver Galleto and Meyo Marrufo of the Pomo Weavers Society.”
Ongoing Services
But the work of the Museum will continue this spring even though the gallery space will remain closed. The research resources of the museum will be available to scholars and residents by appointment.
Additionally, a six-week lecture series begins on Wednesday, March 9, and continues on Wednesdays until April 9, at the St. John the Baptist school gym from 4:30-5:30pm. Chris O’Sullivan, a history professor at the University of San Francisco, is also the founder of the Kevin Starr Memorial Lecture on California History. He will speak on the state’s past, covering a different period each week between the prehistoric era to the Gold Rush. Information and tickets for this lecture series are available at tinyurl.com/HMSpringHistoryLectureSeries.
A special free history talk at the Senior Center will take place on Monday, March 24, from 1:30-3:30pm. The Museum docents will present “Three Women’s Lives: 150 Years of Healdsburg Herstory” in honor of Women’s History Month. The women to be discussed include Josefa Carrillo de Fitch, Agnes Call, and Isabelle Simi, women who exemplify some of the diverse roles of women in Healdsburg’s history.
For more information, visit healdsburgmuseum.org.
