Historic houses and house museums: Conceptualization and development

Abstract

The 'historic house' and 'museum house' categories were developed in Europe, the US, and Latin America during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, respectively. They were connected by this trajectory, since historic houses were generally used for the creation of museum houses. Debates on these categories have unfolded in a number of countries for nearly nine decades (from 1934 to the present), with various entities and theoreticians in the areas of museology and heritage contributing to the development and differentiation of these concepts, particularly over the past twenty-five years. Despite these advances, some researchers still use the terms historic house and museum house interchangeably. Historic houses have exceptional characteristics, may or may not have preserved interiors, and are generally not open to the public, while museum houses are houses that were converted into museums and required additional processes (compared to historic houses) to enhance and highlight the building's value as a museum by turning originally private areas into public exhibition spaces. Understanding these differences and similarities is crucial for the museological approach, since discussions around the concept of heritage are involved.