The nonprofit preserving Oscar Hammerstein II’s Highland Farm in Doylestown Township plans a theater education and exhibit center on the site of the historic barn that collapsed during a severe storm May 20, 2026.
The Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center’s May 21 announcement said the barn had already suffered substantial deterioration before the storm. The organization bought Highland Farm in December 2023.
“This loss is heartbreaking,” board President Greg Roth said in that announcement. The museum said its rebuilding vision included galleries, classrooms, rehearsal and presentation areas for arts education.
Farmhouse restoration comes first
A separate renovation of the farmhouse began with an Oct. 2 groundbreaking, according to the museum’s October project announcement. The work includes a new roof, museum-quality climate control, restoration of the porch and balcony, and accessibility improvements.
Adams-Bickel Associates is the general contractor and Period Architecture the architect. The museum expects farmhouse restoration to finish this winter and plans to resume tours in spring 2027. Its tour information page currently confirms the construction closure.
Parking improvements are the next phase, followed by development on the former barn foundation. Much of the original barn wood has been preserved for future use, the October announcement says. It does not give a completion date for that later phase.
A $1 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant announced in July will support a visitor and education center and related improvements, TAPinto Doylestown reported. That award is part of the project’s funding, rather than its total cost.
Preserving a Broadway landmark
Hammerstein lived at Highland Farm from 1940 until his death in 1960 and mentored Stephen Sondheim there. The museum’s May announcement lists work on “Oklahoma!,” “Carousel,” “South Pacific,” “The King and I” and “Flower Drum Song” among the site’s creative history.
The announcement makes a distinction about “The Sound of Music”: Hammerstein was living at Highland Farm during its creation, but the musical was not written at the farm itself.
