Nancy Beach reflects on her new role as Pierce house events manager.
The new live-in event manager of the Pierce House hopes to expand the historic building’s beyond summer weddings to widen its appeal and help pay for more improvements.
Nancy Beach was hired in January after managers Richard and Susan Silver retired after 22 years. She’s taken over the job of booking rentals, managing contracts and overseeing upkeep of the house along with town facilities staff. “We’re here to guide her and support her, but she’s in charge,” said Virginia Rundell, chair of the Pierce House Committee, which proposes the annual budget and general oversight.
Much of that budget comes from fees paid for use of the house by those who rent it for weddings and other events. Summer Saturdays are fully booked for that purpose, but Beach plans to market the house for other uses such as weekday corporate retreats and meetings as well as wintertime events. The Pierce House played host to a wedding reception on a snowy evening in January, and “they had a lovely time—it was so beautiful with all four fireplaces going,” Beach said.
Beach, who grew up in Concord, started her career as a wedding planner in the 1980s and was later in charge of worldwide training and customer entertainment events at Hewlett-Packard. Four days after moving into the refurbished manager’s apartment in January, she organized a separate bridal show in another town and got dozens of leads for future bookings.
More income could help Beach pay for better period decor and other interior upgrades. “If I can bring in enough money to put back into house, then we can improve it,” she said.
Additional events for Lincoln residents are also a goal. “The committee did some soul-searching last year and talked about our mission, and we’d like to do more events that bring Lincolnites into the house,” Rundell said. Past shindigs have included the Downton Abbey viewing party in 2014 and a welcome event for new Lincoln residents; organizations such as the Lincoln Family Association and the Council on Aging periodically make use of the house, and Beach envisions other local social groups and families coming in as well (Lincoln residents and groups get discounts on the rental fees, Rundell noted).
“It’s a little corny, but I think of the Pierce House being a part of Lincolnites’ lives” for everything from baby showers to weddings and post-funeral gatherings, Rundell said. “It’s so iconic.”