At Hale Farm and Village, visitors can step back in time to explore life on a 19th century farm. More than 75,000 people a year visit the living history museum, a recreated community of 32 mid-1800 historic structures scattered throughout a 90-acre site in the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. Visitors can take in craft and trade demonstrations, interact with farm animals, and wander through period gardens with costumed interpreters of daily life on the farm.
To accommodate the large amount of annual visitors and growing number of events and activities, PRIME AE designed an addition to the Welcome Center that architecturally ties into the original structure designed in 1990 by Braun & Steidl Architects, now a part of PRIME AE.
Our team carefully detailed the Welcome Center addition to respond to the sensitive historical context. It was scaled as to not overpower the surrounding smaller historical buildings, while expanding and concealing technological amenities behind the scenes. The Welcome Center now includes interactive cultural, and craft displays and additional meeting space to compliment the original structure. We carefully selected materials to blend with the existing building and blended half a dozen different shades of stain to match the weathered look of the wood siding on the original structure.
The result is a vibrant center that preserves the historical integrity of Hale Farm and Village while revitalizing the museum experience for visitors.
