Museums are trusted with preserving the most important historical artifacts and scientific specimens, as well as teaching younger generations about their history, and yet the buildings themselves are struggling — along with many other public institutional facilities — with deferred maintenance challenges.
A recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that roughly 85 percent of museums nationwide have a backlog of deferred maintenance and repairs, representing thousands of facilities struggling to keep up with aging systems and infrastructure. In fact, about 80 percent of museums expect these backlogs to persist over the next three years based on current budgets and project plans, and half of those facilities are already struggling with backlogs over $100,000 each.
For facility managers, these statistics reflect the tough reality of small issues snowballing into full blown restoration. In museum environments, these seemingly routine facility issues can quickly become catastrophic to the valuable items inside. Museums rely on precise environmental conditions to protect fragile documents or priceless artwork. When these building systems fail to maintain proper temperature, humidity or structural protection, historical collections can be exposed to long-term damage or destruction.
The GAO also found that 77 percent of museums reported at least one building issue that could put collections at risk, while 73 percent cited facility issues that pose potential health or safety concerns for visitors and staff. Nearly half of those museums have inaccessible entrances that contribute to those safety concerns. In some cases, institutions even reported storing collections in spaces with water leaks or uncontrolled temperatures because more suitable areas were unavailable.
Funding constraints and construction costs remain the most persistent challenges with museums. The GAO found that about 85 percent of museums cited funding limitations as the main barrier to addressing repairs, with many institutions heavily relying on donations or fundraising to cover facility upgrades. This can make long-term planning difficult for facility managers, since the amount they can put towards repairs depends on these campaigns.
The GAO report reinforces an important lesson that extends well beyond museum facilities: staying on top of facility conditions and implementing proactive planning is essential to keeping our buildings up and running for years to come.
Elaina Myers is the assistant editor of the facilities market.
