The Museum seeks to invest $23 million to strengthen its plant and infrastructure; refurbish existing exhibits and develop new, imaginative exhibits; grow its endowment to ensure long-term sustainability; and reduce the Museum’s debt.
With over 20 exhibit spaces and hundreds of thousands of yearly visitors, the Museum’s physical plant and hands-on exhibits are the central components of its world-class reputation. The Museum building, housing both the Museum itself and several tenants, has ongoing capital requirements to ensure a safe and high quality environment. As well, critical to the Museum experience, is the ongoing reimagining of Museum exhibit spaces. The lifecycle of Museum exhibits requires both refurbishing of current exhibits and the development of new exhibits, both permanent and temporary, and the creative use of Museum spaces to keep the Museum vibrant and dynamic.
Infrastructure strengthening will include significant refurbishment to the Museum’s centrally located elevator, key mechanical and electrical improvements to the Museum’s heating, cooling, and lighting systems, and tenant and Museum common area improvements.
Key exhibit investments most notably include a reimagining/reconstruction of the Museum’s popular Construction Zone exhibit. The new Construction Zone will showcase how construction impacts people, communities, and the environment, and feature hands- on experiences to cultivate STEAM skills relevant in construction industry. The hands-on Construction Zone exhibit will provide an opportunity for children to envision themselves playing a role in construction and building in the community where they live. In addition, several other permanent exhibits that have remained largely untouched since prior to the capital campaign in 2007, represent additional large undertakings for the Museum. These exhibits need to be re-envisioned, renovated, or replaced with new exhibits.
Mike Travis
(617) 542-6516
Travis@BostonChildrensMuseum.org
