The $1 million dollar funding will allow construction to begin on the museum’s $3.75 million archive redevelopment.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Community Archive and Research Center will be renovated to improve community access, allowing for in-depth study.
“This renovation of an unused portion will allow community access directly into this building on a day-to-day basis where we will give the public use to our 250,000 artifacts and specimens that we maintain.”
Dale Robertson is President and CEO of the museum.
“The public now has access to into the collections by appointment and can take tours, but the way that the facility is set up now, it’s really made for storage, not for study, not for people getting in-depth into anything.”
The archive, located on Washington Street Southeast, is where the museum currently houses nearly 95% of its collections in secure, climate-controlled storage. Most items are donated. Robertson says this funding will transform that space.
“The lawyer in me says that there’s an implied promise when people donate something that it be used for the most noble purpose. I define that as education and inspiration.”
No word yet on when renovations are expected to be complete.
