Hayes Home Restoration Phase II starts with research, fundraising, big plans
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.
A newly completed Historic Structure Report, conducted by the Chicago-based firm Restoric, is the blueprint for the phase two restoration and identifies critical areas to maintain and restore. Work has already begun on repairing the Hayes Home Foundation.
Highlights of the interior and exterior restoration work include:
- China closet – The current butler’s pantry would be restored to a china closet.
- Darkroom – Through the historic structure report, the room unofficial Hayes family photographer Lucy Elliot Keeler and Rutherford Platt Hayes, son of President Rutherford B. Hayes and First Lady Lucy Hayes, used to develop photos, in the Hayes Home.
- Dining room – During the historic structure report, original wallpaper was found behind the fireplace mantle that could be used to create reproduction wallpaper. Other evidence was also found to create other historically accurate finishes.
- Fanny’s bedroom – The bedroom of Fanny Hayes, daughter of the president and first lady, will be restored with the photographic record and period of significance.
Additionally, the $2.4 million Coming Home campaign includes funding for Hayes Presidential to refresh its branding and marketing, which includes reinvigorated messaging and audience targeting, as well as design for a new, updated and more user-friendly website.
The Jeffris Family Foundation of Wisconsin has awarded Hayes Presidential a challenge grant of one-third - $708,000 – of the restoration cost. Hayes Presidential must raise the remaining two-thirds - $1.47 million. The grant is an extraordinary opportunity to leverage both national recognition and local support.
“Getting a phone call asking if we were interested in a grant that would fund one-third of a project cost is a development director’s dream come true,” said Sue Berryman, Hayes Presidential director of development. “That’s what it felt like when we were approached by the Jeffris Family Foundation in 2021 about a potential restoration project for the Hayes Home. Fast forward to 2026, and we are so blessed to have such a generous base of supporters that we are only $176,000 away from that match. We are so grateful to the donors and foundations that have made gifts and pledges towards the project. Their support shows that Hayes Presidential is valued in the community.”
As July 25, Hayes Presidential has raised $1,241,309 with $176,000 remaining to reach the goal to unlock the grant match. It has $451,000 to meet the Coming Home campaign goal.