HISTORY'S NEW LOOK
State Museum makeover plan would enhance exhibit space
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
BY JAN MURPHY
Of The Patriot-News
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is considering a $200 million upgrade to The State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg that would offer a futuristic look to the building that documents the state's past.
The improvements would peel away the museum's exterior wall facing Third and Forster streets and add a five-story glass atrium that would offer a view of some of the treasures inside.
The 18-story archives tower next to the museum would be demolished and replaced with a parking garage. Museum officials said the archives would be moved to a building outside the Capitol complex.
The work would include some needed renovations to the museum's exhibit space, as well as its heating, plumbing and electrical systems.
The museum, which is celebrating its centennial, opened in its current location in 1965.
"This actually would be a way of saving this building and making it work for the future," said Barbara Franco, commission executive director.
Completing the project could take five to 10 years or longer, Franco said, depending on how soon funding is obtained.
This year, the museum commission planned to charge $3 admission, citing a shortfall in state funding. After residents and state lawmakers protested, the commission backed off those plans. Admission remains free.
The museum improvements could generate new revenue from the rental of the atrium for receptions and other gatherings, Franco said.
The plan is the costliest of three proposals the commission considered. One plan, costing $182 million, would repair the structure and upgrade exhibit areas. A second plan, with a $197 million price tag, would go further and include an expansion of the base of the archives tower.
The third proposal, which the commission favors, would cost more but "really offers the most potential and the most value going forward, and will actually make this building much more useable," Franco said.
The plan to alter the museum's round facade intrigues architectural history buff David Morrison, who regards the current structure as one of the masterpieces of the former Harrisburg architectural firm Lawrie & Green.
"It's a brilliant way to keep the icon and update the museum," said Morrison, the past president and executive director of Historic Harrisburg Association. "I think it looks elegant."
The commission hopes to persuade state officials to nearly double the commitment for museum repairs, from $80 million to $150 million.
The commission will look to the Pennsylvania Heritage Society, its membership and support group, to become its fundraising arm and spearhead a campaign to raise up to $25 million in private donations. Commission members hope federal funding will cover the cost of replacing the archives tower, which stores the state's 3 million artifacts not on display.
State Rep. Ronald Buxton, D-Harrisburg, said he supports the project and attributes the cost to the project being delayed for years.
Buxton said he will push for the additional state funding and a commitment to release the money quickly, before costs rise.
He said he particularly supports the plan to relocate the archives. The building is poorly designed, in need of repair and nearly full, Franco said. It is used more by the public than originally anticipated, with 9,000 people using its research room each year.
The commission's chief complaint, as well as that of museum visitors, is insufficient parking, Franco said. Building a parking garage near the museum and moving the archives to a location with a parking area makes sense, she said.
Among the sites under consideration for the archives is a vacant lot that the commission owns near the Harrisburg-Susquehanna Twp. line on Elmerton Avenue. Another is a property north of the state Records Center on Stanley Drive, near the Farm Show Complex
A third site is at the rear of the Harrisburg State Hospital grounds.
The renovations proposal comes on the heels of $11 million in upgrades for the museum and archives in the last three years. Those included relocating the popular Curiosity Corner, a hands-on learning center for children, to the museum's ground floor; a new museum entrance; and roof replacements at the museum and archives.
"We have not really changed many of the core exhibits since we opened, and we can't continue to be competitive if we don't upgrade," said Anita Blackaby, museum director.
She and Franco noted that museum visitors now prefer interactive displays and learning labs. They like smaller exhibits that include a mix of objects from different subject areas, such as archeology, fine arts and natural science, that have a common theme.
"People don't want to march through huge permanent exhibits, which is really how this building was designed," Franco said. "They would rather have changing exhibitions that put the collections out and rotate them."
The commission is considering "dedicated galleries" for changing exhibits and art exhibits year-round, as opposed to offering one major art show a year, Blackaby said.
In January, museum officials plan to travel the state seeking support for their vision that includes changes to make the museum's collections more accessible to people outside the region.
"It's a big project for the state, but it's an important one," Franco said. "We have so much history here."
JAN MURPHY: 232-0668 or
jmurphy@patriot-news.com
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