Coming in 2009!

Construction is underway for the Whatcom Museum’s new Art Museum & Children Museum facility one block east of 1892 Old City Hall, at the corner of Grand and Flora Streets. This addition to the Whatcom Museum campus will have an Art Museum and Children’s Museum under one roof, becoming a place where families can learn and play together. The Whatcom Museum campus will continue to include the historic 1892 Old City Hall Building, offering changing exhibitions, and the Syre Education Center, used for school groups, tours by appointment, and the Photo Archives.

The new facility’s additional square footage with state-of-the-art climate control and lighting allows the Whatcom Museum to borrow fine art pieces from significant corporate and private collections, as well as those from other museums e.g. the Smithsonian. It also allows for improved and expanded storage for the Museum’s Collection. The new building is LEED (Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design) silver standard certified and includes a "green" roof, providing a venue for the Museum to offer programs around sustainability and conservation.

Other exciting features include a courtyard framed by a distinctive "lightwall" and a new café, providing gathering spaces for the community, and more opportunity for performances, evening functions, extended exhibition hours and other entertainments. There will also be an interactive studio space, allowing the Museum to enhance art education offerings.