Reynolda House Museum of American Art

Winston-Salem, NC

Reynolda House Museum of American Art (RHMAA) is a nationally recognized museum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, situated on the historic 1917 estate of R.J. Reynolds. As part of a 170-acre cultural campus that includes formal gardens, wetlands, and forest, the museum invites visitors to explore American art in deep conversation with land, architecture, and history. With a collection spanning the colonial period to the present—including works by Mary Cassatt, Jacob Lawrence, and Nam June Paik—Reynolda serves more than 40,000 visitors annually through exhibitions, K–12 and university partnerships, and public programs that engage with questions of identity, place, and environmental responsibility.

With FCI support, Reynolda will replace its aging HVAC system with a more efficient, climate-forward solution tailored to a historic house museum. The project will consolidate outdated units, install a new high-efficiency chiller, and introduce upgraded controls for improved zone management and energy savings. It builds on prior assessments, insulation upgrades, and a preventive conservation program grounded in real-time environmental monitoring. The result will be a safer, more resilient system that protects Reynolda’s nationally significant collection while reducing energy use, carbon emissions, and long-term maintenance costs.

Milestones

• Replace aging HVAC system with high-efficiency, preservation-grade equipment

• Consolidate 11 air handlers into 9 and modernize climate zone management

• Install upgraded chiller and programmable setback controls

• Maintain stable conditions across 39 zones during system transition

• Achieve projected 15–20 percent energy reduction and CO₂e savings of 25–35 metric tons annually

• Advance Reynolda’s leadership in environmentally responsible preservation