Enhancing Accessibility at Pierce House

Improving physical access at historic sites involves navigating a complex balance between preservation priorities and modern needs. At Historic New England, this challenge is part of our ongoing work to make the places we care for more inclusive. With over 1,300 acres of landscapes and dozens of historic buildings open to the public, we’ve taken a close look at how visitors move through our sites and where barriers exist. At Pierce House in Dorchester, Massachusetts, recent updates reflect this effort, focusing on both outdoor access and interior navigation in ways that respect the site’s historic character.

Our Property Care team is enhancing accessibility through the installation of stone dust paths as part of a larger, organization-wide effort inspired by our comprehensive path material study. In that study, stone dust emerged as an ideal material for historic landscapes: it’s firm and stable enough for mobility devices and blends seamlessly with the historic aesthetic. While tracking grit into the museums is a real issue with stone dust, we use floor mats so our visitors can scrub the grit off of their shoes as they enter. This last point is key, as it helps eliminate the need for disposable booties, which can be difficult to wear and contribute to landfill waste. By choosing stone dust, we’re advancing our interpretive, accessibility, and sustainability goals, ensuring more visitors can comfortably enjoy our museums.

Building on the success of these landscape improvements, our carpenters turned their attention to the Pierce House’s interior, where narrow doorways pose barriers to visitors using wheelchairs or walkers. At Pierce House, we piloted an innovative, reversible solution: removable door jambs secured with hidden magnets. These specially designed jambs can be easily detached to widen doorways when needed, then reattached to preserve the look and feel of the space. This approach allows us to meet modern accessibility needs without compromising historic materials and craftsmanship. It’s a small but significant step toward making our historic houses more inclusive for all.

The Pierce House accessibility initiative was supported by major grants from the Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund and the Boston Community Preservation Act, and by generous donations from more than fifty Historic New England members.