The Saint-Gaudens Assessment

SAINT-GAUDENS sept 2004 NATIONAL HISTORICA Resource SITE Assessment

® NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION THE SAINT-GAUDENS ASSESSMENT

1 ational Historic Site ational Historic Saint-Gaudens N NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

The home, studio, aint-Gaudens National Historic Site and buildings were constructed and homes and gardens of (NHS) consists of 148 acres and were decorated in lavish fashion. Saint- Augustus Saint- includes the home, studios, and gar- Gaudens was commissioned by the social Gaudens are pre- S served at Saint- dens of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848- elite, and he is credited with helping shape Gaudens National 1907), one of America's foremost sculptors. the American perception of sculpture as an Historic Site in Cornish, New Located in Cornish, New Hampshire, Saint- art form. He created more than 200 works Hampshire. Gaudens NHS also educates visitors about of art during a career that spanned three the "Cornish Colony" and its contributions decades, with commissions that ranged from to American art and culture, the "Gilded large public statues to bas-reliefs for promi- Age" and its effects on American art and nent private clients. He also designed the culture, and the influence of Classical art U.S. ten and twenty-dollar gold coins in on 19th century art and architecture. 1907. Augustus Saint-Gaudens was part of an Augustus Saint-Gaudens' arrival in era termed the "Gilded Age," a period from Cornish, New Hampshire , i n 1885 marked 1865-1900, when industry boomed and for- the beginning of the Cornish Art Colony tunes were made. Great public monuments (1885-1930). More than 70 artists, archi- tects, playwrights, and other art patrons fee land were conveyed to the National lived in Cornish and neighboring Plainfield, Park Service. The enabling legislation also New Hampshire , i n the late 19th and early recognized the Trustees as a partner of the 20th centuries. In addition to Saint- National Park Service. The Trustees have Gaudens, other resident artists included continued to support the park in many Thomas Dewing, George de Forest Brush, ways, including sponsoring art exhibitions Maxfield Parrish, and Kenyon Cox. Several and concerts and providing funds for the of Saint-Gaudens' relative s were also artists conservation and acquisition of art works . in Cornish: his brother, Louis St. Gaudens, In 1984, the National Park Service and Louis' wife, Annetta Johnson St. acquired an additional 55 acres that includ- Gaudens, were fellow sculptors; daughter-in- ed Blow-Me-Dow n Pond, Blow-Me-Down law, Carlota Dolley Saint-Gaudens, was a Mill, and the Stone Arch Bridge. The acqui- 2 painter and miniaturist . sition enabled the park to safeguard The artists of the Cornish Colony were resources closely associated with Augustus stimulate d by each o ther's creativity and Saint-Gaudens, such a s the historic view- intelligence, and they relished the seclusion shed, as well as the pond and surround- o f rura l New Hampshire. They p romoted ing wetlands. In 1999, the Park Service the arts through various events and sup- acquired an adjacent 6.5-acre parcel, once ational Historic Site ational Historic ported local libraries and summer art owned by Saint-Gaudens, in order to pro- schools. vide for the on-site housing needed to bol- Following the death of Augustus Saint- ster park security. Gaudens in 1907, the sculptor's widow, The State of the Parks program was Augusta, sought to preserve the house, stu- launched in 2000 to assess the condition Saint-Gaudens N dios, and gardens as a memorial to the of natural and cultural resources in the artist's life and works. From 1907 until her National Park System. This report conveys death i n 1926, Augusta maintained virtual- the findings of a cultural resources and ly everything at the site as it was prior to stewardship capacity assessment of Saint- her husband's death, with the exception of Gaudens NHS. The park also sustains an the addition of a caretaker's cottage and active natural resources management pro- adjacent garage. Augusta welcomed visitors gram that works in conjunction with the and encouraged them to frequent the stu- site's cultural resources management pro- dios and view where "the Saint" had grams. Natura l resources conditions at the worked. park were not assessed. Upon her death, the site was turned The current overall condition of cultur- over to the Trustees of the Saint-Gaudens a l resources at Saint-Gaudens National Memorial, who operated the site as a Historic Site rates a "fair" score of 71 out museum, offering expanded visitor programs of 100. The site has more than 8,000 and acquiring additional acreage to protect works of art and more than $100,000 in the land and views surrounding the artist's outstanding art conservation needs. The historic property. The Trustees donated the park's ability to care for its resources, also site to the National Park Service in 1964, known as its stewardship capacity, rates a the year that Congress passed the legisla- "fair" score of 66 out of 100. The park tion establishing the Saint-Gaudens National has almost $1.5 million in deferred main- Historic Site. At that time, 83 acres of in- tenance and rehabilitation needs. CULTURAL RESOURCES furnishings and decorative a rts from America, Europe, and Asia and original art- ARCHIVE AND MUSEUM work from several members of the Saint- COLLECTIONS—STORAGE GOOD; Gaudens family a re also found at Saint- ARCHIVIST NEEDED Gaudens National Historic Site. Sheet music, historic and contemporary photographs, SCORE: FAIR, 68 OUT OF 100 glass plate negatives, manuscripts and Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site is papers, and records documenting manage- home to significant museum and archival ment of the site, dating from the 1960s collections that include more than 10,000 to the present, are found in the park's objects. Eight thousand works of art in archive. 3 plaster, b ronze, and other materials and To care for these collections, the park more than 100 portrait reliefs are part of has a full-time curator and a museum spe- the park's museum collection. Also includ- cialist who have both received archival ed in the collections are more than 200 training. Objects conservators from the NPS, models for the U.S. gold coinage of 1907, Northeast Museum Services Center, plaster busts, medals, and cameos. Family Collections Conservation Branch (CCB) have ational Historic Site ational Historic

CULTURAL RESOURCES

Overall conditions 71 FAIR Cultural Landscapes 77 History 76 Saint-Gaudens N Historic Structures 73 Archive and Museum Collections 68 Archaeology 65 Ethnography (Peoples and Cultures) Not Applicable

RATINGS SCALE

CRITICAL POOR FAIR GOOD EXCELLENT

STEWARDSHIP CAPACITY

Overall conditions 66 FAIR Resource Education 51 External Support 57 Funding and Staffing 73 Planning 74

RATINGS SCALE

CRITICAL POOR FAIR GOOD EXCELLENT

The State of the Parks assessment methodology and other State of the Park reports can be found at http://www.npca.org/stateoftheparks/ or contact the State of the Parks program at 970.493.2545. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

• Congress and the administration should enhance the Landscape Report (tentatively funded for 2005 - 2006); site's stewardship capacity by increasing base funding Preservation Maintenance Plan; Accessibility Study; in order to properly care for museum collections, main- and Historic Resource Studies. tain historic structures and the cultural landscape, and • The Park Service should continue to conduct historic provide visitor education programs. These funds research, including a documentation of the extensive would allow the park to restore mission critical season- archives pertaining to Augustus Saint-Gaudens and al positions that have been lost and address some of the Cornish Colony, housed in Dartmouth College's the park's 65 unfunded projects that total $5.9 million. archive, Rauner Library, Special Collections, as well as • The Park Service should provide and/or update fire records located at other institutions and in public col- 4 protection and state-of-the-art security systems for all lections. historic structures and museum collections, several of • Park staff should work with outside partners, including which currently have no protection. In addition, the the Saint-Gaudens Memorial, to secure new funding Park Service should inventory the entire acreage for and to enhance the Friends group. historic structures and evaluate any additions for the National Register of Historic Places and the List of • The Park Service should continue to implement the

Classified Structures. objectives detailed in the preferred alternative of the Site ational Historic 1996 General Management Plan: protect the critical • The Park Service should implement land protection viewshed; preserve historic structures and museum recommendations detailed in the park's General collections; enhance interpretive themes and pro- Management Plan and Land Protection Plan, and gramming; expand art exhibitions; and advance schol- update the Land Protection Plan to reflect land protec-

arly research. Saint-Gaudens N tion measures already implemented.

• The Park Service should secure funds to complete needed repair and rehabilitation projects, including repairs at the historic Blow-Me-Down Mill, Dam, and Stone Arch Bridge.

• The Park Service should seek base funds to continue annual conservation treatments to fragile museum objects, art works, and historic furnishings, as well as funds that would enable the site to acquire important art works as they become available.

• The Park Service should complete an Archaeological Overview and Assessment, tentatively scheduled for 2005, to guide the archaeology program and compli- ance processes.

• The Park Service should complete or update the following key management documents: Historic Structures Reports for all historic buildings; Cultural studio with poses inhisParis Saint-Gaudens 5 Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site Caritas variant. Amor

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE last ten years. ten last Conserv more that 150 the d assiste storage issues, included applicationofprot collections care for trav for collections care Park the Service toof serv technical anal many aspectsofcollectionscare, the treatment needsandassists withdeterto ObjectsSurveys eling exhibits.TheCCBprovides the park and reliefs exhibited and str on outdoorbr ation andmuseumprof cualr l uctura park bypro ysis, mountingandfr and collabor objects and sculptures in the in objects andsculptures onze sculpture epairs onplaster at the park orintrav-at eling exhibits. viding treatment for plan andmonitor ation tr essionals outside ation with con- ation with mine collection ective ective and cosmetic park with including sculpture eatments coatings aming, stewardship standard s a t the the t a s standard stewardship the for the future in difficult of ongoingattentionit willmake lection andthe nificant improvements the to staffing and ing lev park's r provide assist the also manage accomp staff wouldthe t allow tained accor records. does anex Collections Preserv the dards e established inth addition ofapart mor ers, with organized andr the park'scollection,butwillbe into These documentswillnotbeaccessioned treatedarchives as andhousedaccor recommended t Northeast but as park's ins a group of44,000r a Memorial havef To date, the Trustees of the tions andacq work, butt scheduled to end in scheduled in to end conserv storage building wascom the facilities. Anadditionto age needed for the the needed for of fundingiss zation ofthe were lar shelves In recent years, the In Separate f ro m the the m ro f Separate The parkismeeting90per An annualbasefunding ation tr lished. Thearc esour tudy ofarchivalthe needsdoneby , a relatively relatively a , titutional history. Museum Services Center in in Museum ServicesCenter ation andProt cellent joboff ding to P ding to ces. Themagnitudeofthecol- his commitmentoffundsis ance to r ance to e detailed detailed f e uisition ofadditionalpieces. collections. Asmallamount eatments of the eatments ofthe till neededtocom hat t e-housed in acid-free fold- e-housed inacid-free park to park's ext number ofitems in need added to f added to unded t time arc els. ecords ecords 2006. museum collectionis ark Servicest high score. hese documentsbe hivist/libr esearc park hasmadesig- support park to pleted pleted ection ofMuseum ensive ensive his work tobe iling manag P hcls for Checklist NPS inding aids.The documenting the These are his conserv hivist/libr hers usingthe acilitate organi- acilitate Saint-Gaudens exis museum stor- cent ofstan- arian w increase is and modu- library and art collec-art collections ting fund- continued maintain The staff lt the plete andards, arian to dingly. main- ement 2002 ation ould storage requirements of remaining collections and to insulate the roof of the main stor- BLOW-ME-DOWN STONE ARCH age room. Overall, storage conditions at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site are BRIDGE—REPAIRS NEEDED good. The 1889 Stone Arch Bridge, with 30-foot long fieldstone This park, to a greater degree than any wing walls, is listed in poor condition on the park’s List of other, functions as a full service art muse- Classified Structures. Several areas need to be addressed, um with on-site and traveling exhibitions. including the top 100 feet of the retaining wall and parapet. Objects from the collections are loaned to Most of the shifting and resultant instability of the wall is museums around the world. There is an due to poor surface grading, soil conditions, long-term active research and education component as growth of an adjacent tree, and attendant frost movement. well. To maintain the level of excellence 6 Components of the structure continue to fall away and over required by Park Service standards, the park time the entire structure may be in danger of loss. This is has a need for a small increase to base just one example of how park structures suffer as staff strug- funding to provide continued conservation gle to find money for almost $1.5 million of similar preser- care of the museum collection. vation needs. The park also has a need to continue acquiring works of art, such as newly dis- ational Historic Site ational Historic covered sculptures by Saint-Gaudens, but there is no ready funding for that purpose. The park has been approached four times within the past year regarding the possible acquisition of important art works for its Saint-Gaudens N museum collection, yet the park was unable to purchase these items due to a lack of funds. These issues, along with a need to continue to provide high quality exhibits and publications relating to the traveling and on-site exhibitions are essential in reaching the park's mission goals of visitor understanding and enjoyment. To further the park's position in the family of museums it may be beneficial to seek accreditation by the American Association of Museums. This multi-year project gives a full assessment of the museum function and, if chosen, places the museum in a select group of the finest cultural institutions in the country. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HISTORC STRUCTURES—$1,445,000 gible to be considered for the park's LCS. IN DEFERRED MAINTENANCE AND All of the 47 structures included on the REHABILITATION NEEDS park's List of Classified Structures have up- to-date condition assessments. Four of the SCORE: FAIR, 73 OUT OF 100 structures are listed in poor condition, one Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site encom- of which is the Blow-Me-Dow n Stone Arch passes 148 acres and contains the home, Bridge, located adjacent to the Blow-Me- studios, and other structures associated with Down Mill. More than 55 percent of the Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The park's List of liste d structures are in good condition; how- Classified Structures (LCS) presently includes ever, more than half of the park's listed 4 7 structures, though approximately 126 structures are p resently being severely or 7 acres of the park have not yet been inven- moderately i mpacte d by weather, e rosion, toried to identify possible additions. The park operations, and visitation. There are LCS is an evaluated inventory of all his- features (grape arbors, fences, etc.) on these toric and prehistoric structure s that have structure s that are labor intensive to main- archeological, historical, architectural and/or tain due to their design. These resources engineering significance in which the require significant maintenance actions with- National Park Service has, or plans to in the next two to five years, or they will ational Historic Site ational Historic acquire, any legal interest. The term struc- suffer irrevocable damage. An increase in ture refers to roads/pathways, landscape fea- base funding is needed to restore at least tures, buildings, and structures/sites (fences, one seasonal maintenance position to work dams, atriums, bridges, root cellars, swim- on historic structures, as projections indicate ming pools, etc.). Once the remainder of that no seasonal maintenance employees Saint-Gaudens N the park has been inventoried, National will be hired in 2005. Register documentation can then be com- Most of the historic structures at Saint- plete d for any structure s that may be eli- Gaudens are still used today as exhibit

The Little Studio, where Saint- Gaudens once worked, now houses bronze and plaster casts of some of his most famous sculptures. Many of the park’s historic structures are used today as exhibit space, office space, and for storage. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE areas, office/administrative spaces, or for tection and climatic controls, security inad- park storage. For example, the first floor of equacies, and visitor use pose threats to the Aspet (Saint-Gaudens' home) serves as a park's historic structures. The park current- museum for original furnishings, the second ly has only one employee dedicated to and floor houses park offices, and both the specifically t rained in the preservation of third floor and basement contain furnish- historic structures. ings, trunks, and other museum storage. The basement also serves as a combination HISTORY—RESEARCH PROJECTS workspace and maintenance storage area. ABOUND Other historic structures are also used for SCORE: FAIR, 76 OUT OF 100 multiple purposes. The Little Studio, the New Gallery, the Picture Gallery, the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site benefits 8 Atrium, and the Carriage Barn are all used from experienced researchers on-site and at for exhibition of historic collections. The regional levels. The site's curator and chief Caretaker's Cottage houses administrative of interpretation have conducted research offices. and produced publications on several The use of these buildings brings utili- aspects of the life and work of Augustus ty to their existence; however, in some Saint-Gaudens, and the Park Service north- ational Historic Site ational Historic cases this places an additional burden on eastern regional historian is available for these historic structures. In Aspet, the consultation. The park's former superinten- weight of office equipment and files locat- dent, who served at the park from 1966- ed on the second floor poses a threat to 2003, continues to conduct historical th e structural integrity of the building. An research and has written numerous works Saint-Gaudens N alternative o ffice space is needed to ensure relate d to Saint-Gaudens. He is currently the long-term protection of the building. working on the park's administrative histo- Both Aspet and the Little Studio are ry. National Historic Landmarks, the highest The wealth of historical research con- official honor bestowed upon historic struc- ducted has led to activities, such as an tures in the United States. exhibition of Saint-Gaudens work that is Excellent planning and additional fund- currently t raveling to 12 museums through- ing are needed to achieve Park Service out the Unites States over the course of stewardship standards. Currently, most o f three years. An accompanying catalog was the park's budget for historic structures is also produced specifically fo r this exhibi- used to clean and maintain existing struc- tion. In spite of the extensive research that tures. The erosion of purchasing power has been conducted at the site, the park's within the budget has affected the park's Historic Resourc e Studies are more than 20 ability to execute p reventive t reatments. years old and should be reviewed and Deferred maintenance needs and rehabilita- updated. tion costs total nearly $1.5 million and, The park recently e stablished a new vis- though the park has submitted some of itor center in a former maintenance build- the necessary requests for funding, it must ing that today includes a library, auditori- compete with other parks for these funds. um, and a bookstore. The library houses In addition to deferred maintenance an extensive collection of books, articles, needs, inappropriate use, lack of fire pro- and archival materials relating to Saint- Gaudens, American art, regional history, out the country also contain Saint-Gaudens' sculpture , the "Gilded Age," and other sub- papers, including the Avery Architectura l & jects pertinent to the park's mission. The Fine Arts Library at Columbia, Houghton duties for updating the library and the Library at Harvard, the National Archives, archive's computer catalogue are currently the Library of Congress, Schlesinger Library shared among the staff, but budget short- a t Radcliffe, Syracuse University Library, and falls and the loss of seasonal positions the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art. have resulted in less time available to Finding aids for these and other reposito- attend to these tasks. The library is well ries are needed in order to facilitate addi- organized, but additional management atten- tional research . tion is needed. As mentioned in the 9 archival and museum collections section ARCHAEOLOGY—FUNDING FOR above, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site BASELINE STUDY NEEDED needs a permanent, part-time archivist/librar- SCORE: FAIR, 65 OUT OF 100 ian to manage park records, the park archive, the park library, and image and The Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site research requests. core historic area includes several known Budget constraints limit research and and suspected archaeological sites, including ational Historic Site ational Historic resource protection activities. If funds were the Studio of the Caryatids and a golf made available, the park would promote course called Blow-Me-Down Links. historic research to enhance documentation Augustus Saint-Gaudens began building the of its museum collections and their signif- Studio of the Caryatids in 1904 to replace icance to the cultural history of the United his Large Studio that had burned down Saint-Gaudens N States. A number of additional topics would earlier that year, destroying sculptures, fur- also be researched, including more compre- niture, photographs, papers, letters, sketches, hensive information about the Cornish oil portraits, and a treasured drawing of his Colony and detailed technical information mother. In 1944, the Studio of the about the gardens, landscaping, and historic Caryatids was also destroyed by fire. The architecture o f the site. remaining outbuildings were made into a Dartmouth College in nearby Hanover, sculpture courtyard, atrium, and exhibition New Hampshire, includes extensive Saint- galleries that are still used today. Gaudens family a rchives such a s family Archaeological excavations at the Studio of papers, the Saint-Gaudens Memorial archives Caryatids located partial remains of the through the mid-1960's, and a large num- Large Studio, a burned bronze relief of ber of papers and collections from the Saint-Gaudens' wife , a foot from his "Diana" Cornish Colony members. Updated, elec- sculpture , a s well as several smaller pieces. tronic finding aids are needed to help The underground foundation of the studio researchers access this information and the is mostly intact. collection. The information gleaned from To expand his recreational opportunities, the college's collection would enhance the Saint-Gaudens converted his field into a historical information available to the edu- five-green, nine-tee golf course that he cational mission of Saint-Gaudens National called Blow-Me-Down Links. Some docu- Historic Site . mentation of the course is available in the A number of other institutions through- park's archive, including plans for the lay- Saint-Gaudens built the Studio of the Caryatids in 1904 to replace a studio that had burned down. Forty years later, this studio also succumbed to fire.

10 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ational Historic Site ational Historic

out and landscaping, as well the location CULTURAL LANDSCAPES—NOT of water lines and hydrants. The watering ABLE TO MEET ROUTINE system for the course may be one of the

MAINTENANCE NEEDS Saint-Gsudens N first irrigation systems for a golf course in SCORE: FAIR, 77 OUT OF 100 the United States. Other significant historic and prehistoric Permanent staff are very adept at manag- sites may exist in the historic core and in ing the park's cultural landscape; however, other areas of the site. Less than five per- due to an erosion of the park's base budg- cent of Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site et and subsequent inability to fill key sea- has been surveyed for archaeological sites, sonal positions, the park may be unable to and the park lacks a baseline meet its cultural landscape management Archaeological Overview and Assessment. needs in the immediate future . This study would help park management The park manages 22 acres of the 148- plan the site's archaeology program for the acre park as the historic landscape most next ten years. Staff have requested fund- significant to Augustus Saint-Gaudens. There ing to complete this study, which is tenta- are excellent records and documentation of tively scheduled for 2005. If funding for a this historic landscape. The gardens and comprehensive A rchaeological Overview and structure s that comprise the landscape have Assessment is not available, the park should survived nearly intact since the early 1900's, seek other means to assess and survey the and they exist as one of the finest period most highly visited areas: the core historic developed landscapes in America today. area (22 acres) and Blow-Me-Down Mill. Four historic contexts are represente d by the These high traffic areas of the park are landscape: American Art in the late 19th especially vulnerable to inadvertent damage . and early 20th centuries; artist colonies of completed for Saint-Gaudens NHS. Published in 1993, this report documents the evolution of the landscape from the beginning of Saint-Gaudens' ownership in 1885 through the existing conditions in 1993. Volume I requires updating to reflect lands that have been acquired since its publication, as well as other issues that have arisen such as the 2003 on-site devel- opment of the visitor center and resulting change s i n vehicular and pedestrian traffic. 11 Volumes II and III, addressing landscape analysis and treatment, were never developed beyond draft format and need to be completed in order to be of management value. These volumes would specify viable solutions to landscape issues, such as cir- culation, that would meet management ational Historic Site ational Historic objectives intended to preserve th e charac- ter and integrity of the cultural landscape. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Saint-Gaudens NHS has a Landscape Much of the park consists of natural areas with hiking Preservation Maintenance Plan that was trails, brooks and ravines, and wetlands. complete d i n 1993. Although the plan Saint-Gaudens N the same period; American residential land- offers valuable guidance with regard to scape design from 1880 to 1950, including appropriate landscape preservation mainte- the Italian Renaissance revival; and the his- nance techniques, the plan was specifically toric preservation movement. meant to document the maintenance proce- The remaining 126 acres of the park dures of a former grounds foreman prior consist of natural areas with hiking trails, to his departure. The Landscape Preservation brooks and ravines, and Blow-Me-Down Maintenance Plan should be revised and Pond and its surrounding wetlands. There update d to correspond more closely with may be a historic, cultural, or ethnograph- the CLR and current management objectives. ic landscape worthy of managing as such Budget shortfalls have resulted in cuts in within this part of the park, but no sys- seasonal staff, directly i mpacting the ability tematic identification process has been con- to maintain and manage the cultural land- ducted due to a lack of funding. scape. At least three seasonal employees are Saint-Gaudens has a Cultural Landscape needed each summer to trim .66 miles of Report (CLR) that includes detailed infor- historic hedge, mow extensive l awns, main- mation about the landscape, but this doc- tain formal gardens, and complete o ther ument is incomplete . Typically a CLR con- maintenance tasks. A base increase is need- sists of three volumes documenting the site ed to fund these positions, as projections history of the landscape, analysis and eval- indicate that there will be no funding avail- uation, and treatment recommendations. able to hire any seasonal maintenance Volume I, Site History, is the only part employees in 2005. In addition, project dol- lars are needed to update and complete the landscape planning reports discussed above PLANNING—MISSING PLANS to enhance their value as guiding docu- SCORE: POOR, 74 OUT OF 100 ments for managing and preserving this important landscape for future generations. Adequate planning is essential to resource stewardship in order to identify needed actions, secure the necessary resources, and efficiently allocate staff time and efforts. ETHNOGRAPHY (PEOPLES AND Fortunately, the master planning document that guides CULTURES)—NOT APPLICABLE overall park efforts, the 1996 General Management Plan, is Ethnographic groups are defined by the more recent than in most parks. The park has plans for Park Service as peoples associated with inventorying and monitoring natural resources, land pro- parks through their cultural systems or ways tection, interpretation, and management of non-native, 12 of life, or with th e technology, landscapes, invasive plants. The park needs to secure funds for an structures, or other material features or nat- Archaeological Overview and Assessment, Historic ura l resources of a site. It is unlikely that Structures Reports, completion of the three-volume Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site has any Cultural Landscape Report, and a Preservation affiliate d groups and thus the State of the Maintenance Plan. The park should also consider whether Parks program did not assess, score, or rate or not a visitor use plan is needed in order minimize visitor ational Historic Site ational Historic this resource category. If funding permits, it impacts on park resources. would be a good idea for the park to secure a n e thnographic or ethno historic evaluation of the site. This type of study could be targeted as a thesis or disserta- the full compliment of visitor services program- Saint-Gaudens N tion project for a student. ming. In addition, there are 65 unfunded specific STEWARDSHIP CAPACITY projects totaling $5.9 million, more than six times the park's annual operating budget. The FUNDING AND STAFFING— list includes rehabilitation of the historic Stone UNFUNDED PROJECTS TOTAL $5.9 Arch Bridge, stabilization work at the Blow-Me- MILLION Down Mill and Dam, replacement of the park's main orientation film that is almost 20 years SCORE: FAIR, 73 OUT OF 100 old, and rehabilitation needs for several historic The most significant factor affecting a park's and non-historic structures. Particularly t roubling ability to protect its resources is the fund- is the absence of fire protection systems in four ing it receives from Congress and other historic structures and state-of-the-art security sources. In 2004, Saint-Gaudens National systems to protect museum exhibits. Historic Site had an operating budget of An additional $2 million are needed to sup- $945,000. This budget supports 13 perma- port acquisition or easement protection of key nent employees, who serve more than parcels of adjacent lands as identified in the 30,000 visitors each year. NPCA finds that General Management Plan and Land Protection the park needs a budget increase of almost Plan. Protection of these parcels is needed in $350,000 to support the restoration of staff order to preserve the park's historic viewshed and resources needed to meet resource pro- and protect adjacent wetland habitats, including tection and preservation goals and provide vernal pools. RESOURCE EDUCATION— opportunity to visit Saint-Gaudens NHS INTERPRETIVE STAFF NEEDED about the significance of the sculptor and the park's museum collections. SCORE: POOR, 51 OUT OF 100 A new visitor center was built in 2003, Resourc e stewardship is most effective when and most park exhibits are up-to-date, there is good communication with the pub- though the visitor orientation film is lic. Failure to communicate the value of approaching 20 years old and needs updat- park resources is as much a threat to those ing. The biggest challenge fo r resource edu- resources as a failure to p reserve them. In cation is a lack of staff and funding. Park 2003, the park staff made more than interpretive e mployees include the chief of 64,000 contacts with the public through visitor services and a six-month, subject to 13 interpretive p rograms led by park rangers furlough lead ranger. The park presently has and other staff, volunteers, junior ranger only one seasonal interpretive ranger, while programs, the Sculptor-in-Residence program, in previous years at least three seasonal concerts, community programs, and school interpretive rangers were hired. This year a programs. volunteer docent program was established to In addition to on-site visitor contacts, in replace the rangers that formerly p rovided cooperation with the Trust for Museum the core interpretive p rograms. Increased use ational Historic Site ational Historic Exhibitions, the park has loaned 70 muse- o f volunteers is good and is encouraged, um objects as part of a traveling exhibit, but it should not be looked at as a long- Augustus Saint-Gaudens: American Sculptor of term solution to replace mission critical sea- the Gilded Age. This exhibit is traveling to sonal ranger positions. 12 museums across the country from 2003 Potentially, 2004 will be the last year of Saint-Gaudens N to 2005, at very little cost to the park's funding for the park's Sculptor-in-Residence operating budget. Traveling exhibits educate program—the longest running Artist-in- those who would otherwise not have the Residence program in the Park Service.

THE PARK’S SCULPTOR-IN-RESIDENCE

PROGRAM IS A VISITOR FAVORITE.

FUNDS ARE NEEDED TO CONTINUE

THE PROGRAM. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE The Trustees of the Saint-Gaudens Memorial have sponsored Sunday concerts at the Little Studio and rotating exhibits in the Picture Gallery. They have been long-term allies of the park, providing needed support.

14 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ational Historic Site ational Historic Previously i t was a base funded position, must develop updated exhibitions, films, though for the past several years it has electronic media, and curriculum outreach either been funded by small grants, dona- programs and sponsor guest lectures. A tions, or staffed by a Student Conservation demand also exists for the park to devel- Association intern. The Sculptor-in-Residence op new exhibitions that relate to the Saint-Gaudens N program allows an on-site artist to demon- Cornish Colony and Augustus Saint- strate and explain the sculpting process and Gaudens. This can only be accomplished techniques to visitors and to serve as an through direct access to historians, curators, instructor for sculpting workshops offered researchers, and other educators. by the park. The artist program is popu- lar with park visitors and helps them to EXTERNAL SUPPORT—PARTNERS better appreciate and understand the work AND VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE of Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It is one of the WELCOME SUPPORT most valuable aspects of the park's inter- SCORE: POOR, 57 OUT OF 100 pretive p rogram. The possible lack of a Sculptor-in-Residence program in the future, Volunteers, partnerships, and support groups coupled with fewer seasonal park rangers to provide important resourc e stewardship assis- provide interpretive p rograms (house and tance at many parks. At Saint-Gaudens, the art tours), seriously compromise the park's Student Conservation Association (SCA), ability to meet its mission of resourc e stew- scouting organizations, and citizens have ardship and to provide educational oppor- rehabilitated trails, controlled non-native tunities. plants, constructed a wetlands observation Additional funding is needed in order boardwalk, and indexed the park's photo for the park to achieve its objectives in collection. In 2002, sixty-one volunteers serving as a full-service educational institu- contributed more than 3,000 hours of serv- tion. In order to attain this status, the park ice to the park, and in the past five years volunteers have given more than 18,000 hours of service to the park. WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP The vast majority of the volunteer hours • Support or become a Friend of the Saint-Gaudens i n the past h ave resulted from SCA interns Memorial (www.sgnhs.org/friends) by contacting them working with the site's natural resources at 212.750.3690 or [email protected]. You can also management program. The park was able join NPCA (www.npca.org/support_npca) and other to fill these positions as a result of suc- regional organizations. cessful applications for Park Service project funds. These funds helped to provide the • Volunteer in the Parks. Many parks are looking for SCA interns with a stipend for food and dedicated people who can lend a helping hand. To lodging. The park has not been as success- learn about opportunities at Saint-Gaudens National 15 ful in recruiting "no-cost" volunteers. The Historic Site, please visit www.nps.gov/volunteer/ or site is currently expanding its Park Service contact the park at 603.675.2175. Volunteers in Parks (VIP) program to • Become an NPCA activist. When you join our activist include museum docents, flower arrangers, network, you will receive Park Lines, a biweekly elec- and other positions. The work and support tronic newsletter with the latest park news and ways that these volunteers provide will become you can help. Join by visiting www.npca.org/takeaction. increasingly i mportant as the park operates ational Historic Site ational Historic with fewer seasonal employees. The Trustees of the Saint-Gaudens Memorial have been critical, long-term allies in helping the park. Without their support, the score for External Support would have Saint-Gaudens N been lower. Since the late 1940's, the Trustees have sponsored Sunday afternoon concert s a t the Little Studio and rotating exhibits in the Picture Gallery. In addition, they have sponsored and fundraised for larger projects, including the recent bronze casting of the Shaw Memorial that was unveiled at the park in 1997. The Trustees are currently i n th e fifth year of a seven- year annual financial commitment to the park for important conservation treatments to the museum collections. The Trustees of the Saint-Gaudens Memorial founded a Friends group in 1999 to expand their role in supporting the park. ACKNOWLEDGMENT

NPCA thanks Saint-Gaudens NHS, NPS Northeast Regional staff, and Trustees of the Saint- For more infor- Gaudens Memorial who participate d i n the preparation of this report . We also thank mation about the State of the Parks® peer reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions. Program and this A special note of appreciation goes to those whose generous grants and donations made and other program reports, contact: th e report possible: Ben and Ruth Hammett, Tracy and Gene Sykes, the Efroymson Fund 16 of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, and anonymous donors. National Parks Conservation STATE OF THE PARKS® ADVISORY COUNCIL Primary researcher: Heidi Wilkins Association Writer/Editor: Elizabeth M eyers Bruce Judd, Chair State of the Architectura l Resources Group Design: Elizabeth M eyers Parks® Program Dr. Francisco Dallmeier Cover Photo: National Park Service P.O. Box 737 Smithsonian Institution Fort Collins, CO

80522 Site ational Historic Dr. Sylvia Earle Other report s available: National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Adams National Historical Park (MA) PHONE: Michael Finley Andersonville National Historic Site (GA) 970-493-2545 Turner Foundation Big Bend National Park (TX) Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National E-MAIL: Karl Komatsu stateoftheparks@ Komatsu Architecture Historical Park (DC/MD/WV) npca.org Saint-Gaudens N Denali National Park and Preserve (AK) Dr. Thomas Lovejoy Or visit us at H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, Fort Laramie National Historic Site (WY) www.npca.org/ and the Environment Fort Necessity National Battlefield (PA) stateoftheparks/ Dr. Pamela Matson Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Stanford University, Ecological Society of America (DC) Great Smoky Mountains National Park Robert Melnick (TN/NC) University of Oregon Little Bighorn Battlefield National Dr. Kenton Miller Monument (MT) World Resources Institute , World Commission Olympic National Park (WA) on Protected Areas Point Reyes National Seashore (CA) Dr. Douglas Muchoney Rocky Mountain National Park (CO) U.S. Geological Survey Shenandoah National Park (VA) Dr. Douglas Schwartz Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park The School of American Research (MT-Alberta) Laura Skaggs National Trust for Historic Preservation Please visit www.npca.org/stateoftheparks/ Dr. Lee Talbot to view these reports and to learn more George Mason University about the State of the Parks® Program. W. Richard West Smithsonian Institution/National Museum Copyright 2004 of the American Indian National Parks Conservation Association STATE OF THE PARKS®

n average, less than 6 percent State of the Parks® cultural resource NATIONAL PARKS of the National Parks Service’s assessment methodology is based on CONSERVATION O annual budget is earmarke d for National Park Service cultural resource man- ASSOCIATION management of cultural resources and just agement guideline standards. For information 10 percent is targeted for natural resources. about the methodology, o ther reports in 1300 19th Street, N.W. In most years, only about 7 percent of per- this series, and the State of the Parks® Suite 300 manent park employees work in jobs direct- Program, contact National Parks Washington, DC 20036 ly relate d to p reservation of park resources. Conservation Association, State of the Parks® p/ 202.223.6722 The National Parks Conservation Program, P.O. Box 737, Fort Collins, CO f/ 202.659.0650 Association initiated the State o f the Parks® 80522. Phone: 970-493-2545; Fax: 970-493- www.npca.org Program in 2000 to assess the condition 9164; E-mail: [email protected]. of cultural and natural resources in nation- The National Parks Conservation al parks, forecast future conditions of those Association, established in 1919, is this resources, and determine how well equipped country’s only private, nonprofit advocacy the National Park Service is to protect the organization dedicated solely to protecting, parks. The goal is to provide information preserving, and enhancing the U.S. National that will help policy-makers and the Park System for present and future genera- National Park Service improve conditions in tions by identifying problems and generat- national parks and ensure a lasting natu- ing support to resolve them. ral, historical, and cultural legacy for future * Nearly 300,000 members generations. * 8 regional offices * 35,000 activists NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION Protecting Parks for Future Generations®