Help prevent any more theives

HELP US MAKE REPAIRS AND IMPROVEMENTS TO DISCOURAGE COPPER THIEVES SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT THE PACKARD COLLECTION

On December 2, copper thieves scaled the wall behind the National Packard Museum and destroyed two of our three HVAC units by cutting and stealing the copper, condensers and compressors. On December 3, the perpetrators came back and stole the copper and condenser from the third unit. We were able to modify one unit to heat the Great Hall and with the moderate temperatures we have been experiencing it seems to be doing the job. However if the weather outside gets frightful before we can replace the units the one system that is currently heating the gallery will not be enough.

In most cases, aside from the financial strain and inconvenience of the incident it would be a matter of finding a method to keep temperatures above freezing until repairs were made. In the case of the National Packard Museum there is a very valuable collection to consider as well as, an extremely lean nonprofit budget.  Unless we are able to immediately replace these units to maintain the optimal temperature of 71 degrees Fahrenheit and 50-52% relative humidity, the Packard collection of artifacts could be in at risk.  In addition, we must make drastic changes to the HVAC area to mitigate future thefts of this sort. These changes include chain link fence, cameras, lights and additional alarms that when combined with our deductible for this insurance claim will be near thirteen thousand dollars ($13,000).