Vision for the Stevens Center
REN OVATI ON, RE V ITAL IZATIO N & R EB I RT H To create a vibrant place where the North Andover Historical Society partners with our community to connect through historical exhibits, education, and community events.
LOBBY A spac ious, we lcoming lob by and re ce p tion area with a cozy cafe -lounge , the “1646 Bookstore”, and exhib its ab out North And ove r, the S te ve ns Ce nte r, and Soc iety histor y. A d onor and sp onsor wall will honor sup p orte rs.
WORDEN THEATER A 75-seat th ea te r fo r presentati ons, rea d i n g s , deba te s, sm al l s k i t s , co m edy, mu sical p e r fo r m a n ce s , a n d movie s. It w i l l i n c lu d e hi g hperfor m ance a u di o a n d v i deo tec h nol ogy and m a y a ls o be config ure d as a p ro du c t i o n s tudio space .
HORACE N. STEVENS JR. WING This exhib it hall will feature longterm and rotating exhibits of North And ove r histor y. Artifac ts, image s, and archival materials interpret the people, places, and events t h a t h e l p e d s h a p e o u r co l l e c t i v e heritage, including the region’s rich t e x t i l e h i s t o r y, m i l l s , a g r i c u l t u r e , s o c i a l m o v e m e n t s , a n d p ro m i n e n t c itize ns.
ENERGY ALIVE E x h i b i t s h i g h l i g h t i n g o u r r e g i o n ’s e n e r g y, i n f ra s t r u c t u r e , a n d t ra n s p o r t a t i o n h i s t o r y live here. Our stor y from water power to solar p o w e r i s co m p e l l i n g ; E n e rg y A l i v e te l l s t h i s s to r y i n i n t i m a te , h a n d s - o n d eta i l . P re s e n t and future energy technology and an extensive exhibit on building efficienc y, sustainability, a nd rene wab l e en ergy s howca s e t he Steven s C e n te r a n d t h e te c h n o l o g i e s a n d f i r m s t h a t broug h t i t back to li fe .
MEET THE CSC RENOVATION COMMITTEE Brian J. Howard, Executive Director, started at the North Andover Historical Society in January 2020. From 2007 to 2019 he ran the Oneida County History Center in Utica, New York. This central New York native brings with him over 25 years of experience as a curator, development officer, and administrator. He’s also taught American history in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Brian has a B.A. in history from SUNY Potsdam and an M.A. in museum science from Texas Tech University. He and his wife, Paula, have two sons. Joseph D. LaGrasse, AIA has over 50 years experience working in New England on all phases of Architectural Design, Land Planning and Building Development. He formed his own corporation in 1982, J.D. LaGrasse and Associates, Inc. and serves on the board of the North Andover Historical Society. Mr. LaGrasse was the Principal Architect at Frank C. Gelinas & Associates in North Andover. Kathy C. Stevens, Ph.D. served as president of the Historical Society board for seven years, treasurer for nine and currently is the chair of the Stevens Center Capital Campaign. She and her late husband, H. Crowell Freeman, were the recipients of the 2019 Lifetime Preservation Award. Cousin of the Textile Museum visionary and founder, Caroline Stevens Rogers, Kathy is honored to carry on her legacy. James D. Worden is an entrepreneur and business leader with 30 years of experience in photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles. He is an MIT graduate and co-founder of Solectria Corporation in 1989 and Solectria Renewables, LLC, in 2005. James serves on the board of the North Andover Historical Society. He and his wife Anita were the recipients of the 2017 Lifetime Preservation Award.
BUILDING HISTORY
In 1960, Caroline Stevens Rogers was President of
the North Andover Historical Society, following in the footsteps of her father, Samuel Dale Stevens, who had founded the Society in 1913. She commissioned the building to house his collection of looms, spinning wheels, and other textile equipment.
ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY UPGRADES
The Society is updating the building to feature sustainable technology measures such as a new roof, high performance windows, full envelope insulation to Energy Star standards, geothermal heating and cooling, and solar panels to achieve net-zero energy for the building.
HONORING CAROLINE’S LEGACY
Continuing her family legacy, the building will contain Society headquarters, local history exhibits, Energy Alive demonstrations, the Worden Theater, and community spaces. There will be spacious, climate controlled archives and extensive 3-D collection storage.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Donations of any size to the Stevens Center campaign are appreciated and will make a difference for generations to come. There is an opportunity for vendors to become benefactors and have their business logos permanently displayed in the Energy Alive wing where different high efficiency features will be presented.
IN GRATITUDE
A special thank you to the Kittredge family for the gift for the second floor kitchen area, named “Kit’s Kitchen”. We are grateful to Jimmy D’Angelo of D’Angelo Engingeering for financial, technical and construction assistance.
STEVENS CENTER 8 0 0 M a s s achu s et t s Aven u e, No r t h A n dover, MA 01845 ww w. n o rt han dover his to r ical s o ciet y.o rg / s te ve ns -ce nte r fa ce bo o k . com /n a h i s tor y ■ i n stagram . co m / n o rth an d overh i stor y ■ twitte r.com/histor yna