Furnishings of the Historic 1905 Minnesota State Capitol: Research

The short-term target of maintaining a timely response to new contacts and an efficient authentication procedure was met. The project manager prepared an intake form and authentication strategies prior to publicizing the search, so any submissions of potential Gilbert furnishings could be assessed and added to the system quickly.
The intermediate target of writing stories as material was available and sharing them with the public was also met. Once the project manager collected sufficient information of an item, she wrote a story and compiled relevant photographs. Stories were shared through Facebook, newspaper articles, television interviews, and public programs. Web development proceeded to be done separately; that is, instead of pages being continuously added to the Cass Gilbert Society's existing website, a new site was created and unveiled at the end of the project term. This alternative still allowed for the public to receive project updates, while ensuring the future website was as refined and complete as possible. The initial plan also included adding 100 new pages to the existing website. The reality of this expansion was beyond knowing prior to the project. The resulting new website, with fewer pages but rich content including stories, photo albums, and maps, is a focused and thorough collection of all research and findings.
The long-term target of publicizing information about Gilbert and the State Capitol has been met and will continue to be met as the website is continually shared by the Cass Gilbert Society and others. The website will be useful not only to site managers, historians, and architects for research purposes but also to the general public.
The targets were met because the project team did not hastily roll out information about the project before sufficient research had occurred and systems of recording submissions were in place. This allowed for a smooth, thorough collection of data, stories, and photographs. Regular promotion of the project through personal outreach, media connections, and printed material also ensured that the project team met their targets.