With its stone front held together with weathered-looking scaffolding, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) building is bordering on being an eyesore. But inside the historic Andrew Street building is a feast for the eyes and the imagination.
The GAR holds four floors of Civil War historical items ranging from uniforms to weapons and flags as well as letters signed by Abraham Lincoln and one of Lynn’s true treasures — a top-floor meeting hall, its high walls lined with photographs of Civil War veterans.
The building, and its collection, is an irreplaceable historical treasure rivaling Civil War collections in cities much larger than Lynn. Thankfully, a dedicated but small band of local residents appreciate the GAR’s significance and they are working to make it a shining gem in the city’s treasure trove of great local historic and natural assets.
The Friends of the Grand Army of the Republic of Lynn Museum kicked off efforts on Sept. 22 to bring attention to the GAR’s collection and its needs with an Andrew Street block party that one attendee said attracted more than 100 people downtown.
Participants listened to music, enjoyed refreshments and toured the building in what was a rare opportunity for the public at large to come invited to the building and appreciate its value. The Friends promise their efforts to bring attention to the GAR are only beginning with a cocktail party fundraiser and a documentary linking the faces staring down from meeting hall walls with contemporary Lynn residents.
These goals set by dedicated men and women of Lynn who love the city and what it has to offer deserve support through donations to the GAR and an expanding public recognition of its value. Friends member and City Council President Darren Cyr suggested the building needs as much as $10 million worth of renovations and other improvements.
While that sum may prove to be a lofty goal, a much more reachable fundraising objective is the cost associated with putting a new face on an old building. The GAR is surrounded downtown by examples of the artistic efforts that add a new dimension to the city through the innovative Beyond Walls projects.
It’s not a lot to ask of the city to install lighting on the GAR that could cast a red, white and blue glow on the building’s front at night. Or how about dropping decorative patriotic bunting over the scaffolding until needed repairs to the building’s facade are undertaken. To their credit, the Friends spruced up the GAR’s exterior with flags and bunting and their efforts have already improved the building’s appearance.
The GAR is a city property with trustees assigned to its oversight. But there is no reason the city can’t team up with the Friends, the Lynn Museum and any number of other organizations inside and outside Lynn to showcase the building’s collection and raise the GAR to the prominence it should enjoy in the city. Why not host a double bill of the epic Civil War movies “Glory” and “Gettysburg” in Veterans Memorial Auditorium and tie the showings in with a soirée at the GAR?
There are a million ideas worth pursuing and most are surely worthy of a building that is part museum, part shrine to those who gave their lives for “a more perfect union.”
