The Montgomery County Historical Society is about to begin a major renovation project on the north side of the Lane Place. With the Strawberry Festival about to begin this weekend, museum staff has blocked off the portion where work will be done.
“We noticed that there was starting to be some issues with our columns on the north side of the home,” said Jill Coates-Matthews, who is the executive director of the Montgomery County Historical Society. “There was water infiltration on the northernmost edge of the roof near the balcony. We went through and got a Montgomery County Community Foundation grant to help fund most of the project.”
It would take a couple of years for the Society to find suitable contractors to fix the roof. Over the next two winters, water buildup continued to cause further issues.
“We had deep freezes, meaning that all the collected water expanded and contracted multiple times, leading to more infiltration,” Coates-Matthews explained.
The new flat roof was then installed to prevent further water from coming in. The next phase: to replace the columns and capitals, which are the top part of the beams.
“I don’t believe renovation work has ever been done on the capitals, excluding painting and minor repair,” she said. “Back then, something people used in older construction for capitals is a mixture of plaster and horse hair.”
The Lane Place will still remain open for free tours on the first floor throughout the festival. Tours will be open from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m., and then on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The building is air conditioned.
“For the porch preservation, we hope to get it done by this fall,” said Coates-Matthews. “We are looking to do fiber glass for the columns.”
The total estimate for the renovation is projected to be around $96,000. Almost $70,000 has been covered by a recent grant received by the Community Foundation during the 2026 spring cycle.
WCDQ had the chance to stop by the Historical Society to talk with Coates-Matthews about the project. The full interview can be listened to below.
To learn more about the Montgomery County Historical Society and how to support it, click or tap here.
Headline photo taken by WCDQ’s Sophia Shannon.