Heritage Center Gallery Closes October 14
Posted 10/10/12 (Wed)
Reprinted from the October 4, 2012 Bismarck Tribune
Heritage Center employees Paul Baumgartner, left, and Duane Edwards take down light fixture tracking inside the area that was the Glass Box gift shop on Thursday afternoon. Other renovations to the area include removing the accordion glass panels as the area is transformed into a reception area for social functions at the heritage center.
By NICK SMITH
The State Historical Society will be holding a four-day event at the North Dakota Heritage Center to give museum patrons a final look at its main gallery before it closes for renovation. The facility’s main gallery will be open for expanded hours next Friday through Oct. 14.
The gallery, which has been open for 31 years, will close Oct. 15 to be renovated as part of the 97,000 square foot expansion project set to open in November 2014.
“As we go through this there’s really not going to be a number of exhibits available for a period of time,” said Claudia Berg, expansion coordinator for the state historical society. Berg said a limited number of smaller exhibits away from the main gallery will reopen by the beginning of 2013.
She said the main gallery closure is necessary for safety and efficiency reasons during the construction process. “We stayed open as long as we possibly could,” Berg said.
Berg said by the beginning of 2013 a limited number of smaller exhibits open. The expansion is planned to be opened in three phases beginning in summer 2013. The first gallery is tentatively set to open in July 2013. The second gallery is scheduled to open in September 2013 and the final space is to open in time for an official dedication on Nov. 2, 2014, to commemorate the state's 125th anniversary.
While the gallery is closed, state historical society and foundation offices, the state archives and museum store will remain open. Berg said the fiscal impact at the Heritage Center is expected to be minimal.
On Thursday and Friday there are presentations scheduled by the North Dakota Humanities Council, United Tribes Technical College and the state Geological survey. A series of childrens events are scheduled for Oct. 13. A closing ceremony is set for 4:30 p.m. Oct. 14 in the main gallery. Former Gov. Allen Olson and Berg will be speaking at the ceremony. Gov. Jack Dalrymple has also been invited to speak.
Berg said the closure will more than be made up for once the facility is fully reopened and dedicated. “I think people will be excited to see what the expanded North Dakota Heritage Center will have to offer,” Berg said.
For more information on the planned Oct. 11-14 events, visit www.history.nd.gov or call (701) 328-2666. Reach Nick Smith at 250-8255 or 223-8482 or at nick.smith@bismarcktribune.com.