It will be a few months before it starts to go into service, but the GBPA has acquired the commercial property just west of the Historic Daniel Lady Farm.
The one-acre property on Hanover Street includes three combined structures; a house, small retail section and a large warehouse.
The house will become the permanent headquarters of the GBPA, replacing a donated storefront on York Street in the borough. It will provide offices and a meeting room for the board of directors and committee meetings.
The warehouse will become a museum with an all-purpose room. The room will be used for a wide variety of Civil War-oriented seminars, temporary displays and special events.
While the exterior may look somewhat weather-beaten, the roof, exterior walls and interior features are solid, said GBPA Operations Vice-President Kirk Davis, who led the process to acquire the property.
“Our biggest challenges will be to update the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning as well as make improvements to the plumbing and electrical systems. We also want to give the outside walls a look more in tune with the 1860’s,” said Davis. “The parking lot will be fixed-up with an emphasis on water-permeable materials. There also will be a discrete gravel roadway in the back so people and support vehicles can go back-and-forth to the Lady Farm house and barn and avoid Hanover Street.”
“This is going to be an asset for the entire community of Gettysburg,” said GBPA President Barb Mowery. We want our new museum and meeting room to be an attraction that will not only help draw visitors to Gettysburg, but to provide them an incentive to spend more time in Gettysburg to learn more about our great legacy and enjoy all that the community has to offer.
A formal dedication of the new GBPA headquarters and museum building will be scheduled for a date to-be-determined in 2018.