Historic Red Hook is excited to announce the issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of an Interpretive Plan for the Elmendorph Inn. We invite qualified consultants to submit their proposals by August 31, 2024, to help us enhance our educational and interpretive offerings.
About Historic Red Hook
Our mission is to engage the community in conversations about Red Hook's unfolding story. We achieve this by collecting, preserving, and promoting Red Hook's history, maintaining the historic Elmendorph Inn as a community center, creating dynamic public programs, and partnering with community organizations.
Project Overview
In our 11-year history, Historic Red Hook has become a hub for community connection and historical education. However, we currently lack a cohesive interpretive framework that would allow us to fully realize our potential as an educational resource. The selected consultant will develop an interpretive plan that will guide the creation of standards-based learning experiences for various age groups, engaging tours for casual visitors, and more.
Project Focus:
The Elmendorph Inn serves as Red Hook's most visible monument to community identity: as an eighteenth-century inn located on the post road between New York City and Albany, the building witnessed the steady formation of the Town and Village, served as a gathering spot for multiple civic functions over the first decades of the town's existence, and has been a visible reminder of Red Hook's multi-centuried past.
We seek an interpretive plan that engages audiences in contemplating the essence of community life, both historically and in contemporary contexts. The plan should explore the roles and services provided by village and town governments, the involvement of citizens in their community, and the importance of public forums and third spaces. Unlike many local historical sites that focus on elite individuals, we aspire to present the Elmendorph Inn as a place of meeting and exchange between both non-elite and elite residents throughout the centuries.
Key Project Goals
Develop an interpretive framework that connects with school curricula and social studies standards.
Create engaging tours and programs for both students and general visitors.
Ensure the Elmendorph Inn is interpreted as a site of historical meeting and exchange for all community members.
Timeline and Submission
RFP Issuance: August 1, 2024
Proposal Submission Deadline: August 31, 2024
Semi-Finalist Interviews: September 15-30, 2024
Final Selection: October 4, 2024
Please direct all submissions and questions to Elisabeth Tatum, Executive Director, at director@historicredhook.org.
We look forward to receiving proposals that will help us bring the rich history of Red Hook to life for our community and visitors. Join us in making Historic Red Hook an even more vibrant educational resource!
