On Saturday, 15th May, 2022, the Historical Society of Haddonfield held the official opening and dedication ceremony for the Patricia Lennon Archives Center, after an incredibly successful, multi-year fundraising campaign.
It was a long journey to the dedication, from the moment in 2014 that structural engineers suggested that the archives needed to move from their then home in the Samuel Mickle House, through the commissioning architectural designs and plans, requesting and receiving Zoning Board approval (November 2015), the fundraising campaign, the groundbreaking ceremony (August 2018), the demolition of the garage that stood on the site, months of construction work, a virtual opening (April 2021, during the pandemic), to finally moving the collections to their new home in December 2021.
The Patricia Lennon Archives Center was designed by Haddonfield resident Eduardo Guzman of DCM Architecture and Engineering (the reading room interior is by Benita Cooper of Benita Cooper Design), and reinterprets an earlier barn that had stood on the site.
The building provides much-needed space (with room for growth) for the Society’s archival holdings, which include correspondence, photographs, diaries, scrapbooks, maps, pamphlets, ephemera, privately published books, and more. Haddon Township Historical Society is also a partner in the building and has space reserved for its archival collections as well.
You can take a guided tour of the building, here:
The Board and Staff of the Historical Society of Haddonfield are grateful to so many people for their dedication in bringing us here, whether they worked directly on the Center’s design and construction, helped with fundraising, donated, or simply cheered the project along.
Key News Items & Moments in the Campaign
- Historical Society Awarded $10,000 Grant for New Archives Center Building – 9/19/18
- Historical Society Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Archives Center Building – 8/1/18
- New $5,000 Grant Will Support New Archives Center Building – 6/12/18
- Historical Society Receives Matching Grant to Recognize Contributions of Past President Pat Lennon – 5/22/18
- Frequently Asked Questions about the new Archives Center building – updated 3/26/18
- Historical Society Receives $50,000 Award to Reserve Space for Haddon Township Collections in New Archives Center Building – 3/26/18
- Borough Issues Proclamation in Support of New Archives Center – 11/13/17
- Historical Society Receives $100,000 Gift for New Archives Building – 11/9/17
- Historical Society Awarded $31,400 to Launch Capital Campaign for New Archives Center – 12/14/15
- Haddonfield Zoning Board Approves Plan for New Archives Center – 12/1/15