Take a look at the more than $20M in changes coming to the Columbus Museum
The Columbus Museum will soon make significant renovations to transform the building and its grounds — the first major changes to the attraction since 1989, museum officials announced Friday.
To date, gifts to the Reimagining The Columbus Museum capital campaign have topped $20 million, representing 90% of the campaign’s leadership phase goal.
The work is expected to begin in late falland finish in early 2024. During this time, the building will be closed. However, the Columbus Museum will house exhibitions with community partners throughout the city.
Marianne Richter, the director of the Columbus Museum, told the Ledger-Enquirer that the changes represent a pivotal milestone for the museum’s future.
“The spirit of community in Columbus is strong, and the spirit of philanthropy in Columbus is unusually strong,” she said. “To (the) degree of truly doing it because people want to see the best in this community. ...It’s wonderful to be able to have so much to offer in Columbus.”
What are the changes?
Among the biggest changes to the museum will be a new and expansive children’s gallery and adjoining children’s garden. The area will be adjacent to the redesigned main entrance that features a spacious lobby. The lobby will lead visitors to a cafe, a shop and the museum’s orientation space.
The Bradley Olmsted Garden will also be restored and expanded. The museum aims to bring back a water feature that stopped working in the garden many years ago. The goal is to integrate the garden with community greenways and bike trails like the Dragonfly Trail Network. A new overlook and terrace will be constructed just outside the atrium for visitors to enjoy any time of year.
Overall, the renovations also will allow more natural light to flow through the building and down onto the gardens. The museum’s history and art galleries will also undergo changes.
The history gallery will be redesigned and include interactive elements. The museum’s heritage theater will be gone. The history section will begin with the story of local Native American peoples. The area’s famed mills, the removal of the Muscogee Creek nation, the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement will feature prominently, Richter said.
In the art section, visitors will see a more open galleria. There will be a larger exhibition space on the third floor. There will be a new art history space dedicated to interdisciplinary topics between the history gallery and the museum’s more contemporary art.
Architecture firm Perkins & Will, exhibition design firm Local Projects and exhibition design firm The Design Minds were selected to work on the museum renovations.
The Muscogee County School District earmarked $3 million of its ESPLOST funds for improved and expanded collections storage collections care and needed infrastructure upgrades at the museum. Kathelen Amos and Elizabeth Ogie served as co-chairs for the capital campaign. Thornton Jordan and Elizabeth T. Corn served as honorary co-chairs.
“This is, to me, probably one of the most meaningful things I will have ever done in my career,” Richter said. “It’s taken several years. We were first looking at this in 2018, and I’m really gratified by the community’s excitement about this. ...This will help the museum stay connected to the community in a new way.”
This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 10:01 AM.