Dedham's Fairbanks House Museum has landed a $162,500 state grant to restore the roof on what is considered the oldest surviving timber-framed house in North America.

The grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) will pay for structural repairs, restoration of the East Wing cellar stairs and a new cedar roof at the museum, located at 511 East St., according to the state's project list. The house dates to 1637 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

There is a catch. The museum must raise matching private funds before it can tap the state money. CFF grants carry a 1-to-1 match requirement, according to Mass Cultural Council.

Jeff Blood, president of the Fairbanks Family in America, the nonprofit that stewards the museum, said in a statement posted to Patch that the grant "is a tremendous vote of confidence in the importance of the Fairbanks House."

"We invite our local community, Fairbanks descendants, preservation supporters and history lovers everywhere to help us secure the match and protect the house for future generations," Blood said.

The organization has launched an online fundraising campaign to collect the private match. Donations can be made at fairbankshouse.org.

The museum's board also voted unanimously to hire Gerard O'Doherty Construction for the restoration work, following a competitive bidding process and a recommendation from preservation consultant Building Conservation Associates of Newton. Gerard "Gerry" O'Doherty specializes in preservation carpentry on first-period buildings, according to the statement. His past projects include work on the Tilden House in Canton and the Governor Shirley-Eustis House Carriage House in Boston.

The roof project will replace deteriorated cedar shingles and structural elements to protect the 17th-century timbers underneath, according to the museum. Eight generations of the Fairbanks family lived in the house from 1641 to 1904.

The Fairbanks House was one of 97 cultural facilities across Massachusetts to share in $8.7 million from the latest CFF round, which is administered jointly by Mass Cultural Council and MassDevelopment.

The museum offers 50-minute tours by reservation on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from May through October.