The Delaware Historical Society restores its Research Library & Archives building in Wilmington.
The building on 505 N. Market Street recently unveiled a newly restored Art Deco façade.
For more than two years, there was work being done to the building to return the façade, doors and windows to the original look or as close as possible to it.
"The windows were the biggest, but also restoration of our beautiful metal decorative grill work, both on the outside of the building and also our vestibule on the inside. So there's so much to see and you can really appreciate the results of the project both from the exterior of the building and also as you step inside the library."
The work was done on the Market Street side as well as the Shipley Street side which included uncovering and restoring a window.
Delaware Historical Society Chief Curator Leigh Rifenburg says more work is scheduled for the building.
"We've already identified a number of areas. We have a beautiful historic skylight that is a major feature of the interior of the building. That's going to need a lot of help. We'd love to get our paint back to the original finishes that would have been in the bank building when it opened in 1931. So there are a number of projects, both very visible and less obvious to the naked eye."
The building is home to more than 75% of the Delaware Historical Society’s three million pieces of archival materials - including manuscripts, photographs, prints, maps, and family papers that all tell pieces of the state’s unique history.
The building was originally constructed in 1929 for Artisans’ Savings Bank. The Historical Society purchased it in 1971.
