National Trust President Richard Moe on President Lincoln's Cottage

BY KIM A. O'CONNELL

Q: When did you first hear of the Lincoln Cottage?

A: I've known about the Lincoln Cottage forever because I'm a big Lincoln fan. I have had a lifelong interest in the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, and I wrote a book about a Civil War regiment, the First Minnesota Volunteers, called The Last Full Measure.

I had first visited the Lincoln Cottage 10 years ago and was astonished that the cottage was just sitting there empty and without interpretation. It was so moving to see the place. It's the most important Lincoln site in the country because it's the only one that represents his presidency. Lincoln did so much to preserve the Union and to free the slaves. It was a defining moment in American history, and he stepped up to match it.

Q: What was it like to see it for the first time?

A: I was very struck by how intact it was. It was still in good shape, but obviously it was not the mission of the Soldier's Home to preserve it. They warmly accepted us as a partner.

Q: Why did the National Trust for Historic Preservation decide to restore the visitors center\and, to a lesser extent, the Lincoln Cottage\in a sustainable manner?

A: Sustainability has become a very desirable goal and is getting a lot of emphasis here. We thought we should practice what we preach. The Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center will be the first Trust building to be LEED certified, the first of many Trust buildings, we hope. When most people thing about sustainable architecture they think about new construction. We hope the visitors center will be an example to stewards of other historic buildings across the country that sustainability can be achieved.

Q: What is it like to watch the restoration come to an end? How often have you checked in on the progress?

A: It has been almost 10 years in the making. I go out there very frequently. These days I'm out there two or three times a week. I love the place. I go because I care about this place, and I really wanted to keep [the project] moving. We built a terrific staff to oversee it. We've raised over $15 million to make this happen. It's taken a lot of work.

Text and Audio of Richard Moe's speech on sustainability >>

Margaret Foster contributed to the reporting of this article.

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