Help Us Preserve a National Treasure: The Maxfield Parrish Stage Set and the Plainfield Village Town Hall

The 1916 Maxfield Parrish Stage Set—one of the very few surviving theatrical works by this famed American artist—remains in its original home at the historic Plainfield Village Town Hall. For more than 30 years, the Maxfield Parrish Stage Set Committee, under the stewardship of the Plainfield Historical Society, has worked to protect this irreplaceable cultural treasure. In 2021, the Plainfield Village Town Hall Committee, appointed by the Selectboard, joined this effort to address urgent preservation needs affecting both the building and the stage set.

Thanks to generous individual donors, the Plainfield Town Hall Fund, and major grants totaling more than $100,000 from the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) and the New Hampshire Arts Council Moose Plate Grant Program, significant preservation work has already been completed. Moisture, foundation, chimney, and drainage issues have been addressed; humidity levels reduced; aging rigging replaced; electrical systems in key areas upgraded; and the historic proscenium curtain and window shades brought into compliance with current fire-retardant standards.

Critical work still lies ahead.

An immediate priority is raising the required $125,000 match for the LCHIP grant within the next two years. We can't begin the work until match funds are secured!  This funding will support essential work including humidity control in the basement crawl space and on the stage, electrical and fire safety upgrades, exterior painting, and repair or replacement of deteriorated shingles and structural beams.

Conservation experts from the Williamstown Art Conservation Center have recommended a full professional cleaning of the stage set, mold remediation, and treatment of surface abrasions to ensure its long-term preservation. Stage set conservation alone is estimated to exceed $50,000 and cannot begin until the underlying humidity issues are fully resolved. 

Longer-term improvements include installation of permanent climate and humidity control systems (including insulation and heat pumps), a fire aspiration system, compartmentalization of certain areas for fire containment, interior painting, and floor refinishing. This next phase of work is expected to exceed $400,000, and many funding opportunities require matching donations.

Your tax-deductible gift makes this work possible.

With your support, the one-of-a-kind Maxfield Parrish Stage Set and the historic Plainfield Village Town Hall can be preserved for future generations—just as earlier generations preserved them for us today.

Donations may be made online at https://donorbox.org/parrishstagesetfund  

or mailed to:
Parrish Stage Set Fund
c/o Plainfield Historical Society
PO Box 107
Plainfield, NH 03781

Checks should be payable to Parrish Stage Set Fund

You may restrict your donation to the Stage Set or Plainfield Village Town Hall.  Unrestricted funds will be used for any areas of need.

The Plainfield Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations to the Stage Set Preservation Fund, supporting both the Maxfield Parrish Stage Set and the Plainfield Village Town Hall, are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.