Preparing For the Next 100 Years

When work began on the restoration of the American Irish Historical Society on Fifth Avenue in May 2006, few people realized how direly in need of refurbishment the building had

actually become. One year later it's re-emerging again, but this time transformed into a state of the art museum, library and cultural center fit for the 21st century. CAHIR O'DOHERTY meets Society President Dr. Kevin Cahill and enjoys a sneak preview of the dramatic changes in store.

BY the spring of last year the venerable old American Irish Historical Society townhouse at 991 Fifth Avenue in New York was like an old dowager in the last decade of her life - still stately and imposing, but softer around the edges and looking more and more like the end was finally in sight. For many it was hard to admit that the old girl was on her last legs, but the truth had to be faced - the famous library was dark and poorly ventilated, entire wings had to be closed off to flooding when it rained, and people were known to fan themselves with quite remarkable vigor during the weekly lectures (it was always either too hot or too cold, year round). Things simply had to change.

It is Irish America's good fortune that the society President Dr. Kevin Cahill takes such a keen interest in the promotion of the venue. With his hands on stewardship (and working closely with board members like Donald Keough, Bob Devlin, Maureen Bateman, Denis Kelleher and James P. Murphy and the Executive Council) every stage of the full-scale restoration project has been painstakingly overseen.

"The interior of the building was designed by Ogden Codman, of whom there are many books written. His biographer is a woman called Pauline Metcalf and she and other visitors from the Metropolitan Museum of Art have been over and told us that our restoration is possibly the best one they've ever seen. They are nominating it for landmark and restoration awards," Cahill told the Irish Voice.

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