Slowly but surely, repairs underway after car crashed into Emerson-Wilcox House in York - Seacoastonline.com

YORK VILLAGE, Maine — Nearly four months after a driver reportedly fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into the Emerson-Wilcox House, efforts are underway to restore the historic structure. 

Although it has been a slow-moving process, progress has been made to address the damage on the east side of the house, according to Old York Historical Society Executive Director Joel Lefever.

"While it appears from the outside that little is happening, we are indeed very busy behind the scenes," Lefever said in an Oct. 12 statement.

More: Car crashes through wall of 250-year-old Emerson-Wilcox House Museum in York, Maine

After the accident in May, Lefever sifted through broken fence pieces and shattered glass to salvage everything he could.

The damage that occurred from the accident and subsequent effort to restore the structure has a number of "complicating factors," Lefever said.

Currently, the historical society is lining up preservation specialists to repair the damage. It's an especially difficult time to find a repair person, Lefever said, because many people have recently moved to Maine and are renovating their homes.

All objects from the collections will need to be catalogued and removed from the site prior to restoration work, so staff are working to evaluate and document the house, Lefever said. 

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"I am pleased to say that we have been in contact with all of the specialists needed to do the repair work, and shortly anticipate the final estimates to submit to the automobile owner's insurance company," Lefever said.

The historic home, which the Old York Historical Society had converted into a museum, was damaged when driver westbound on York Street crashed into the east side of the house. The driver was a 26-year-old Kittery resident, according to York police.

The driver received a ticket, but no charges have been brought, police said.

A support beam was completely taken out by the crash. But, luckily, wooden beams from the original structure of the home can be fixed, Lefever said.

Lefever said he hopes to have the exterior damage fixed by the end of this year, but much of it will depend on when or if he can hire a person who has the time and expertise to take on the project. 

Since the process to get estimates of the damage to submit to the insurance company has moved slowly, friends of Old York Historical Society and the Emerson-Wilcox House have decided to create a fund to help facilitate the restoration without having to wait for the insurance settlement.

The damage, although significant, occurred in the best possible place it could have happened, Lefever said. If the driver had crashed into the corner of the home, the house could have completely collapsed. No one was injured in the accident, Lefever said.

Nothing in the house museum was on display at the time, since the house was not scheduled to reopen to the public for the season. An inspection found that no objects in other parts of the house were damaged either.

Donors from the community have given about $15,000 to a restricted fund for the care of the house and collections impacted by the accident.

Any funds not spent in this initial phase will be reserved for future preservation work not covered by insurance. 

Historical society eyes bigger vision

The accident sprung the Emerson-Wilcox House into the limelight, Lefever said. 

The 15-room Emerson-Wilcox House was completed more than 200 years ago, in 1817, but portions of the house are decades older than that, according to the Old York Historical Society website. The small center chimney house was built in 1742, with multiple additions thereafter. Over the years, it has served as a general store, stage tavern, tailor shop, post office, home and now a museum.

The house museum offers 10 period rooms from 1750 to 1850, and it has a small exhibition gallery, according to the historical society. 

A couple years before the accident, Old York Historical Society knew the house needed significant repairs, estimated at about $2 million to renovate, restore and interpret the space as something different, Lefever said. One issue is that the house hasn't been heated for 25-30 years, which has caused a lot of issues with the colonial, wooden building. The roofing and electrical system need to be redone as well, Lefever said.

Out of all of the Old York Historical Society buildings, the Emerson-Wilcox House is the only one that isn't funded by private donors. It doesn't have an endowment fund.

The idea for the update is to fully restore the space and make it feel more like an art museum. Lefever said he hopes to install a permanent maritime collection, but that project will likely not take place for at least a few years, Lefever said. 

Because the land is owned by the First Parish Church and the home is owned by the Elizabeth Bishop Perkins Trust, the Old York Historical Society can't apply to state or federal grants for repair, Lefever said. Typically, privately owned entities can't get funding from a somewhere such as The National Endowment for the Humanities.

More: Car crashes through wall of 250-year-old Emerson-Wilcox House Museum in York, Maine

"Thank you to everyone concerned about the house, and especially those who have supported our restoration efforts. We have been very heartened by the outpouring of support," Lefever wrote.