 James A. Michener, who grew up in Doylestown, took the lead in establishing the endowment, donating $500,000 as well as some of the paintings from his own private collection (Michener would go on to donate a total of $8.5 million to the museum).The site was renovated by architects O’Donnell & Naccarato, Inc., from Doylestown, Pennsylvania.The warden’s house and the control buildings were converted to office space and exhibition space.