This project seeks a wholistic approach to add environmental controls for fragile archival materials where there are currently none, to upgrade storage capacity in our special collections and archives, and to expand our education space.

Our Project Goals

• Climate control for archives and artifacts storage

• Restoring windowed wall in our historic building for a Visible Vault where guests can observe preservation work and conservation treatments

• New windows on the Second Floor

• ADA accessible bathroom

• Archival shelving for special collections

Construction Update, March 2024

Construction on our Research Center & Visible Vault is underway! Much of the project so far has been demolition. The red wall (built in the 2000s) is now demolished to create our larger Research Center, and the covered-up windowed wall (we believe covered sometime during the energy crisis) is now exposed to make our Visible Vault! The first three images show the red wall demolition with the soon-to-be Visible Vault wall behind it. In the last photograph you can see the metal studs installed along the brick walls to begin to make our collections and archives storage spaces temperature controlled. We are excited for this long-needed improvement to keep our storage from freezing in winter and becoming sweltering hot in summer!