The Give us a Lift Campaign will improve accessibility so we can welcome all visitors to all parts of the museum while providing new opportunities for kids and adults to interact with history through additional space and new education programs. In addition, as part of this campaign, Campbell House will secure funds to restore and maintain the building and furnishings that bring the 19th century to life.
The Give Us A Lift Campaign: $2,500,000 Goal
Accessibility $1,000,000
Our goal is to make this shared history accessible to everyone. $1,000,000 will allow Campbell House to:
- Construct a new street-level accessible entrance and lobby
- Construct an elevator and new stair tower to make the Museum accessible
- Create a new larger Museum Store to increase sales revenue that will directly support the operations of the Museum.

Rendering of the proposed 2‑story Museum expansion showing the accessible entrance (double doors).
Education $700,000
Educators throughout the St. Louis area and beyond have expressed interest in more programming. As a Victorian home built in 1851, Campbell House provides unlimited opportunities for exploring history. An investment of $700,000 will allow Campbell House to do the following:
- Build two public education spaces
- Promote education programs to schools and teachers
- Fabricate new interpretive signage and artifact cases for the Museum’s period interiors

Currently there are no eduction spaces at the museum, so programs take place in small interior spaces like the carriage house or in the garden.
Restoration & Conservation $300,000
The Museum’s buildings are more than 165 years old. We take great pride that the last restoration is widely recognized as a model project, and the building now stands as one of the finest restorations in America. $300,000 will allow Campbell house to do the following:
- Restore the historic streetscape around the Museum
- Recreate historic window treatments and wall coverings for the dining room
- Repair and conserve the Museum’s collection of original light fixtures and its collection of rare books
Endowment $500,000
A strong endowment will provide for maintenance costs of existing and new spaces. The current endowment is $3,300,000 and additional funds raised through this campaign will increase it to $3,600,000—generating about $175,000 annually to:
- Sustain a financially strong Campbell House
- Maintain the new spaces built during this campaign
- Ensure the Campbell House experience with the highest quality interpretation by adding one part-time staff person
Why Now?
With the Give Us a Lift Campaign, we will complete select interior and exterior projects that were not included in the first campaign, we will make Campbell House accessible for all visitors and volunteers and increase our capacity to welcome school groups throughout the year, reaching more people young and old and giving them what is already theirs – their history.