C. Richard Bierce recently traveled to New Orleans to work with the Amistad Research Center. Richard, who is a Historical Architect and Preservation Consultant based in Alexandria, Virginia, visited the center to conduct a condition assessment of the building and provide recommendations for improvements in function as well as project future needs.

The Amistad Research Center is an archive of documents, manuscripts, and resources chronicling the history of African-Americans and other ethnic minorities. This unique center houses the world’s largest collection of American ethnic history, the civil rights movementf and race relations. African-Americans have an especially strong voice at the center where Richard worked as part of a project funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Heritage Project. Coincidently, Richard was part of an assessment of the Amistad Research Center building 15 years ago.

“All in all a highly dynamic and, I think, productive three-day session,” says Richard. “In which I was able to pull together past experience there with current experiences and learnings in Nashville to formulate a strategic direction for them at Tulane and their occupancy of a visible and important building.”

C. Richard Bierce is a member of Springfield Christian Church (DOC) in Springfield, Virginia and currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Disciples of Christ Historical Society.

If you would like more information about C. Richard Bierce and his work at the Amistad Research Center please contact Kristin Russell at 866.834.7563 or russell@discipleshistory.org

April 28, 2009