A model for placing conservation among its top institutional priorities, Colonial Williamsburg is being recognized with this national award for its unflagging dedication to the highest standards of conservation policy and practices, its thoughtful inclusion of conservation professionals in key decision-making positions, and its outstanding public programs to increase conservation awareness. Our daily operations never lose sight of the commitment Rev. Rutherford A. R. Goodwin demonstrated as a lay preservationist who in the late 1920s appealed to John D. Rockefeller Jr. to save and restore this outstanding slice of colonial life for the education of future generations.
Preservation is truly the heart of our institutional mission.
The fact that we receive over one million visitors annually is testament to the public's desire to learn about history through tangible objects and experiences. We could not facilitate such learning without the contribution of skilled conservators who have helped us throughout our history. Best known as America's largest living history museum, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's Historic Area is a 173-acre restored town with more than 400 buildings and 225 exhibition rooms. Since 1987 staff has been systematically conducting general and detailed condition surveys of these vast collections. An impressive operation, the foundation employs more than 4,000 people over the course of a year, with approximately 1,000 people working in close proximity to the collections.