For 57 years, the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts has been one of Chattanooga’s treasures.
But beneath the skin of the Victorian-style house on High Street — a building that contains the vast collection of artifacts assembled by Anna Safely Houston in the 20th century — time had taken a toll.
The house, which became the Houston Museum in the late 1960s, had foundation issues, an outdated electrical system and a list of other maintenance needs that led to a $3.5 million remodel, according to Pam Reed, the museum’s executive director.
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“The Bluff View area was filled with Victorian houses at one time,” Reed said in an interview. “Our house is the only one that still stands.”