Published: Monday, November 8, 2010
Imagine a bigger museum for kids in Everett
$5 million expansion set for Everett kids' attraction
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Mark Mulligan / The Herald
Maria Lunder, 6, plays in the building room of the Imagine Children's Museum in Everett on Thursday. The museum is planning a $5 million expansion.
EVERETT — The Imagine Children's Museum is getting ready for a growth spurt.
Officials plan a $5 million expansion that will allow the museum to host traveling exhibits and serve more people.
The nonprofit wants to turn a parking garage attached to its main building into a wood lodge-style exhibit space.
The plans call for a stage for performances, two family restrooms, storage and a new workshop to fix the things that inevitably get broken. The expansion will add about 7,500 square feet of space, said Nancy Johnson, executive director of the museum.
That will allow the museum to host traveling science, cultural and arts exhibits designed for kids. Plus, there will be other things like giant Lincoln-Loglike building blocks.
The museum opened at 1502 Wall St. in 2004 after the community chipped in to raise $4.8 million. The museum has multiple floors of hands-on exhibits, including a rooftop area where kids can play a life-size game of chess or dig for dinosaur bones. It was recently named the best in the region by Nickelodeon's Parent Picks.
Johnson described it as a place for playful learning.
Officials at the Children's Museum have already secured most of the money they need for the expansion. They're now pushing hard to raise the last $1 million so they can get moving on construction. The construction should take three or four months. The museum won't have to close its doors.
The museum already has bought three lots for $3.3 million from Pacific & Colby Building Inc., registered to George Drumheller of Everett. Those purchases are part of the $5 million fundraising effort.
The museum decided to buy the land after they heard another buyer wanted the property. The museum would have been surrounded by buildings, and the museum's board worried about a lack of parking and their ability to expand.
It was clear expansion was going to be necessary, Johnson said.
The museum served 150,000 its first year. Last year, that figure had grown to 208,000.
On busy nights and weekends, the museum is packed with children and their families. Tight quarters make it harder for families to spend time together — a crucial function of the museum, she said.
The lots, located on the same block as the museum, are now being used for parking.
Johnson said museums help prepare children for the future.
“We want to be able to be here 100 years from now,” Johnson said.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
Officials plan a $5 million expansion that will allow the museum to host traveling exhibits and serve more people.
The nonprofit wants to turn a parking garage attached to its main building into a wood lodge-style exhibit space.
The plans call for a stage for performances, two family restrooms, storage and a new workshop to fix the things that inevitably get broken. The expansion will add about 7,500 square feet of space, said Nancy Johnson, executive director of the museum.
That will allow the museum to host traveling science, cultural and arts exhibits designed for kids. Plus, there will be other things like giant Lincoln-Loglike building blocks.
The museum opened at 1502 Wall St. in 2004 after the community chipped in to raise $4.8 million. The museum has multiple floors of hands-on exhibits, including a rooftop area where kids can play a life-size game of chess or dig for dinosaur bones. It was recently named the best in the region by Nickelodeon's Parent Picks.
Johnson described it as a place for playful learning.
Officials at the Children's Museum have already secured most of the money they need for the expansion. They're now pushing hard to raise the last $1 million so they can get moving on construction. The construction should take three or four months. The museum won't have to close its doors.
The museum already has bought three lots for $3.3 million from Pacific & Colby Building Inc., registered to George Drumheller of Everett. Those purchases are part of the $5 million fundraising effort.
The museum decided to buy the land after they heard another buyer wanted the property. The museum would have been surrounded by buildings, and the museum's board worried about a lack of parking and their ability to expand.
It was clear expansion was going to be necessary, Johnson said.
The museum served 150,000 its first year. Last year, that figure had grown to 208,000.
On busy nights and weekends, the museum is packed with children and their families. Tight quarters make it harder for families to spend time together — a crucial function of the museum, she said.
The lots, located on the same block as the museum, are now being used for parking.
Johnson said museums help prepare children for the future.
“We want to be able to be here 100 years from now,” Johnson said.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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