From 2009 to 2012, the historic Hayes Home went through a meticulous restoration on most of its first floor to take it back to how it looked during the time President Rutherford B. Hayes, First Lady Lucy Hayes and their family lived there.
The only original wallpaper was carefully cleaned and preserved, and the rest was matched using historic photos and samples of what was left under newer layers. Photos from the time showed where the couple placed their paintings, vases and knick-knacks – most of which had been lovingly preserved and stored – allowing staff to put them in the same places the Hayes’s kept them.
A step into the home from the president’s beloved verandah was really a step back into time, into the home as it looked when he and Lucy shared family Christmases, intimate conversations and dinners, entertained guests and even their final moments.
History feels different when you can walk through it. That restoration captured the time when the couple lived there and takes visitors back to it.
Now, the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums is extending that restoration so the experience is continued into parts of the second floor of the home, remaining areas of the first floor and portions of the exterior of the house.
Coming Home – The Hayes Home Restoration Campaign Phase Two is raising funds to restore and preserve the home – one of the nation’s premiere presidential sites and the pride of Fremont, Ohio – for the future. Through this important work, The Hayes will enrich the visitor experience essential to telling the story of the president, first lady and their family and will continue to bring that story to life for generations to come.
Please select Campaign: Hayes Home Restoration 2 in the “Use my Gift Towards” area.
Read the rest of the story here.
See progress of the work so far:
Photos of Fanny Hayes' bedroom before work began and progress photos.
Photos of the foundation restoration work.