The Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum has completed the first 
phase of renovations. We stayed open throughout the process, though we 
posted signs "Excuse the dust...." During jack hammering we had a box of 
ear plugs at the front entrance and offered them at no charge to anyone 
who visited. Some people stayed away, but others seemed like witnessing 
the evolution. No work was done in the public space during open hours. 
Later this year we will begin work in the public space and will need to 
have the public use another entrance and move our store temporarily. We 
also will need to close sections of the Museum. Staying open sent the 
message to our community that we were moving forward, that nothing was 
stopping, just improving. It worked for us. We used the opportunity to 
tell people, "You will be able to tell people you saw the Museum when...."

Sue Baker
Executive Director
Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum

Dana Allen-Greil wrote:

> I'm looking to compile a list of museums that have recently started or 
> completed expansion or renovation projects.  I am also interested in 
> whether the museum stayed open or was closed at any point during the 
> project.
> 
> Please find a short-list that I've gathered so far.  Many of these appear 
> to be art museums.  I'm especially looking for examples at other types of 
> museums as well as aqariums and zoos.  Thank you for your input.
> 
> National Portrait Gallery- closed
> http://www.npg.si.edu/inform/renovation.htm
> 
> Smithsonian American Art Museum- closed
> http://americanart.si.edu/museum_info/renovation/index.cfm
> 
> MOMA- alternate location
> http://www.moma.org/about_moma/manhattan/
> 
> Cleveland Museum of Art- kept some galleries open 
> http://www.clevelandart.org/educef/cmabuilds/html/5147288.html
> 
> Institute of American Indian Arts (New mexico) - closed for renovation
> http://www.iaia.edu/museum/renovation.php
> 
> B&O Railroad Museum (Baltimore)- closed during renovation
> 
> de Young Museum (San Fran)- reopens this fall (closed since 2000)
> 
> The Minneapolis Institute of Arts-- staying open during expansion
> http://www.artsmia.org/building-expansion/visiting-museum.cfm
> 
> Akron Art Museum- closed during renovation
> http://www.akronartmuseum.org/newbuilding/index2.html
> 
> Denver Art Museum- open during expansion
> http://www.denverartmuseum.org/expansion/
> 
> Seattle Art Museum- open during construction
> http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/construction.asp
> 
> The Getty- open while expanding (the Villa)
> http://www.getty.edu/museum/home.html
> 
> National Aquarium in Baltimore- open during expansion
> http://www.aqua.org/seethefuture.html
> 
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
> 
> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
> 
> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
> 
> 

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).