Whatcom Museum
New Building Opening in 2009
Construction is underway for the 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 be a state-of-the-art facility with both an Art Museum and Children's Museum under one roof, adding a modern complement to the Museum's historic 1892 Old City Hall building.
With the new facility, the Whatcom Children's Museum will be moved into a bright and inviting space better suited to the potential for this well-loved place. The Art Museum will feature large, open spaces for a variety of exhibition possibilities, and all the irreplaceable works from permanent and visiting collections and exhibitions will be housed and protected in the basement of the new facility.
Why a New Building?
None of the buildings currently part of the Whatcom Museum campus were designed or built for use as a museum. Originally designed as a City Hall, fire station, auto showroom and transmission shop, the four existing museum buildings are unable to meet or be effectively renovated to meet control of temperature and humidity required for loaned exhibitions from other museums. In addition, the present Whatcom Museum and Children's Museum facilities have a difficult time accommodating increasing attendance levels. More than 111,700 visitors from around the county and the region visited Whatcom Museum facilities in 2005, including 40,000 visitors to the Children's Museum. The new building will include space to display and appreciate fine art, house collections that preserve our cultural heritage, and provide expanded space for a growing number of visitors of all ages.
What Happens to the 1892 Old City Hall Building?
The 1892 Old City Hall, located at 121 Prospect St., will continue to be part of the Whatcom Museum campus. Currently, plans are to use it for exhibitions interpreting our rich and varied Northwest history.
