Under Construction: Museum Renovation
Save the Date! Reopening on February 27, 2010, 10:00 a.m.

New construction photos from October and November
Construction photos from August and September
 Construction photos from June and July.
 Exhibit hall renderings.
 Renderings of the new entrance.

View of construction of new Tempe History MuseumTempe History Museum Logo

  • Our goal is to create a destination attraction that is the “Best Community History Museum in the West.”

    • Featuring:

    • Flexible spaces with changing exhibits

    • New technology with innovative interpretation to dramatically stage the stories of Tempe

    • A versatile, multi-use community room

    • A dynamic, highly-visible museum entrance

    • An interactive children’s area that involves families in historical and educational activities

By doing this, we will attract a larger, more diverse and involved audience that can celebrate Tempe's past and ponder its future.

About the Exhibits

  • The main exhibit will feature four areas, each built around one of four themes:

    • Surviving in the Desert: How humans have interacted with, adapted to and changed the desert environment.

    • Building Our Community: How Tempe got its start and has grown and developed through time.

    • College Town: The long-standing relationship of Tempe to Arizona State University.

    • Living Together: The diverse communities that have lived, studied and worked in Tempe and how they have interacted with each other.

Other features of the gallery include:

  • An Exploration Station in each of the themed areas that will offer more detailed information online.

  • A Learning Lounge where visitors can browse through books or just sit and take a break.

  • Kids' Place will get children involved with history.

    • playing with real antique toys

    • putting artificial fruits and vegetables into containers and loading them onto a real farm truck

    • "planting" artificial crops, just like on a farm

    •  reading children's books with a parent or guardian

    • role-playing on a stage with costumes and props

    • listening to old-time music or programs on historic radios.

  • Little Devil's Stadium will be a protected space for crawlers and toddlers to move about.

  • A changing gallery will feature temporary exhibits. Our first exhibit will showcase art of the Petersen House.

Fun Facts About the Project

  • A total of 718 tons of construction debris have been removed from the site. About 91% of that material has been recycled.

  • Concrete accounted for 620 tons, or 32 truckloads, of the debris.

  • Metal accounted for 14.5 tons, or one truckload.

  • Miscellaneous trash accounted for 83.5 tons, or nine truckloads.

  • A total 232 yards or 464 tons of concrete has been poured.

  • A total of 77,135 pounds (about 38.5 tons) of structural steel has been erected for the new addition.

  • A total of 2400 pounds of "mud" or plaster has been used to finish the new walls.

  • The south wall of the reception area is made up entirely of glass. It is 21 feet tall.

  • Each glass pane is 8 feet tall by 8 feet wide.

  • Each pane weighs 448 lbs. and it takes up to four men to move a single pane.

  • The new sign on the southwest corner of Southern and Rural spells out the word MUSEUM with letters that are six feet tall and five feet wide. Each letter is made out of 3/4" thick steel and weighs over 500 pounds. The steel is powder-coated and has an anti-graffiti finish.

  • There are 72 LED lights along the front facade, each capable of displaying four colors. They can be programmed in multiple patterns to wash the facade in color at night.

Going Green

Environmentally friendly features have been incorporated into the new construction whenever feasible. A few examples are:

  • Motion activated lights in the public restrooms, closets and other rooms that may sit vacant for long periods of time.

  • Incorporation of natural light in the lobby, community room and exhibit gallery to minimize the need for artificial light.

  • Energy efficient fluorescent lighting.

  • Sun shades in the community room.

  • Low water use toilets and metered flow faucets in the public restrooms.

  • Exhibit cases and other fixtures that are constructed out of environmentally friendly materials.

  • Xeriscape landscaping along the south facade of the museum.

Project Team Information

Timeline

  • Renovation of the building will be completed by December 24, 2009.

  • Exhibit installation will begin in December 2009.

  • The opening is scheduled for Saturday, February 27, 2010.

Download your own color copy of our Project Planning Guide

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