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Gateway opens: Museum Center in new facility
Friday, May 11, 2007 9:05 PM EDT
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| Terri Duncan spent time Friday doing family research in the new Kentucky Gateway Museum Center. After a long construction process, the new facility is now open to the public. -- Terry Prather/Staff |
While certain portions of the new wing are yet to be completed, including the gallery which will house the Kathleen Savage Browning Miniatures Collection, the research library and museum are open to the public.
"It's a good feeling, we're finally opening our doors," said Lynn David, communications and visitors services director of the museum center. "There's still work to be done, but on the whole we're really pleased to be back open to the public."
On Friday, some people were already taking advantage of the museum's reopening, including Terri Duncan of Maysville.
Duncan, who uses the museum center for genealogy research, said it was her first time in the new addition, and she was very pleased with what she found.
"There's a lot of space," she said, adding the area where she formerly did research was very cramped. "It's nice."
Myra Hardy, who has worked as a researcher with the museum center for 11 years, said the new space is "fantastic."
"It's going to take me some getting used to," she said. "I'm not used to so much space."
During the time Hardy has worked at the museum center she said the research library has moved three times. Originally housed in the upstairs of the old museum, it moved the first time into the old library building, then into the Hendrickson building during construction of the new center.
The research library's new home provides everything patrons of the museum center need within easy reach, Hardy said. Those items include census records, cemetery records, death certificates and more.
The first exhibit in the new addition's temporary exhibit gallery is already in place and features the work of the Ohio River Valley Artists Guild as well as that of Mason County High School senior art students.
The new addition provides more than extra space, it also provides the needed environmental controls to protect artifacts. Expansion plans were first discussed several years ago, with tentative plans sketched on a napkin, according to David. Plans then included two wings on the library.
The new addition features a museum shop, new offices and an area for permanent exhibits as well as the temporary exhibits.
David said the museum center is something the community can be proud of and she, as well as others with the museum center expressed appreciation for the patience of the public and all the assistance that has been provided to the museum.
"I don't know what we would have done without the full cooperation and support of the city and county officials," said Museum Director Dawn Browning. "Every time we needed something done or extra help they were there with all we requested and often went the extra step to help us with this enormous undertaking."
The museum center and research library will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Contact Misty Maynard at misty.maynard@lee.net or 606-564-9091, ext. 274.
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