The Park City Historical Society & Museum (PCHS&M) is delighted to present its new Education & Collections Center nearing completion in Prospector Square!
In 2009 the PCHS&M successfully completed its 9-million dollar renovation and expansion of the Museum on Park City’s Historic Main Street. Located in the City’s oldest landmark building, it immediately became a significant cultural draw to the commercial core and a success beyond expectations. Several national honors and recognitions have been awarded.
At that time, the decision was made to devote the valuable Main Street square footage exclusively to exhibits that tell our rich history. The PCHS&M’s Strategic Plan called for the establishment of an o° -site annex to accommodate our growing educational programs and expanding collections of important historical artifacts and treasures. Museum consultants advised this annex be within a mile or so of the Museum. To that end, in 2014 the organization purchased a lot between the Grub Steak Restaurant and Park City Lock & Key. Thanks to the support of our generous donors, this new building is the culmination of that goal.
As of today, the Museum’s historical objects, photographs and documents number in the tens of thousands and are spread among several storage areas and even in board members’ garages! Similar to most museums, only a percentage of the collections can be displayed at any given time. Some are so fragile, such as the Silver Queen’s gowns that extra care must be taken for their protection. The new facility provides a spacious, high quality environment that meets the strictest of museum standards. A large garage door will even allow access to house our popular fire truck and stagecoach if the need arises.
Additionally, the building provides large spaces for lectures, hands-on school programs, and conservation workshops. Recent lectures at the Museum have proven so popular they have exceeded capacity. Not wanting to turn anyone away, the sta° squeezed residents and visitors into the lecture hall, but barely and o˝ en guests spilled into the hallways. Now, we can comfortably accommodate three times the audience. Strong educational programs for local area and students throughout Utah continue to be a cornerstone of the Park City Museum too. In the past few years our school programs have blossomed; we now engage more than 3500 students each year and with the new Center hope to double that number. Special hands-on, object-based museum opportunities are planned for both youth and adults.
Watch for our Grand Opening of the new Education & Collections Center later this year. The steadfast support of our community and visitors has made this possible and we sincerely thank them all.
