EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
The Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science announced that by a
unanimous vote, museum trustees agreed to move forward
with the final phase of the most ambitious renovation and expansion project in
the museum's 108-year history.
"I join the museum's
board and staff," John Streetman, the museum's director, says, "in celebrating this exciting milestone,
which, when completed, will represent the fourth and final major capital
project in my 37 years with the museum."
According to museum
officials, the $14.1 million capital project, entitled Reaching for the Stars, "not only addresses key existing
infrastructure needs but, in phase five, will also introduce a dynamic
immersive theater, the newest in planetarium technology. Through this project
we shall, in our exhibitions and programming, be able to enlighten and inspire
our visitors in the areas of arts, history and science in a way never before
possible."
Earlier phases of the
project, which began in 2009, focused on interior renovations of the Old
Gallery, the Richardt Room, Alcove Gallery, collection storage and exhibition
preparation areas.
Streetman reports that phase four of the renovations will be completed in November, 2012, with the opening of an interactive,
hands-on science center named the Welborn Baptist Foundation Family Place; the
Evansville Convention & Visitors Bureau Center for History and Science; and
a new classroom.
Chairman for the campaign,
Rita Eykamp, leads a fundraising cabinet of other distinguished civic leaders
including Niel C. Ellerbrook, John D. Engelbrecht, Susan Hardwick, Robert G.
Jones, and Virginia G. Schroeder. Rita Eykamp commented, "Our board of trustees
has approved the adjusted design of the new pavilion that keeps intact the
integrity of the project's original mission at a lesser cost. The immersive
theater will still be front and center as visitors enter the lobby. With this
new goal of $14.1 million, and over $13.9 million already secured, we are
completing this important capital campaign for our community."
As the campaign nears its
goal, the museum announces that construction will begin before year's end, with
the completion in late 2013. Additional fundraising efforts will continue in
the coming months with a public campaign.
Plans call for the creation
of an expansive gathering place for visitors coming from the nearby historic
neighborhood or from their cars in a parking lot conveniently adjacent to the
museum's entrance.
The paved, tree-lined and pedestrian-friendly plaza will
more closely link the museum with the Evansville Museum Transportation Center
(EMTRAC), bringing the campus into a cohesive alignment adjacent to the
riverfront Greenway.
Museum visitors will enter
the new facility through a spectacular two-and-a half story pavilion, to be
constructed on the museum's south side.
The cornerstone of the
addition to the museum will be an immersive theater – the newest in planetarium
technology – housed inside the pavilion. This new, larger space will provide a
greater range of program opportunities for schools and businesses in our
region, as it will also accommodate film screenings, lectures, group meetings,
teleconferencing and remote astronomical observations.
Architects for the project are Evansville's VPS Architecture and Ratio Architects, Inc. in Indianapolis.
Copyright 2012 WFIE. All rights reserved.
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