Depot museum to reopen doors Friday morning

Thu, May 22, 2008    to del.icio.us

The Tri-Cities Historical Museum will unlock doors to the past when it reopens its Depot at 9:30 a.m. Friday after a three-year renovation project.

The changes are many, according to Steven Radtke, curator of exhibits.

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Originally a Grand Trunk railroad station built in 1870, the Depot at 1 N. Harbor served as the museum's main facility from 1972 until the opening of the Akeley building at 200 Washington Ave. in 2004.

The 3,000-square foot Depot now will house transportation-related history, including land, boat and train.

"We didn't need this as a main facility anymore so we concentrated on turning it into a museum of transportation," Radtke said. "We restored the interior to look like it would have around the turn of the last century. We removed walls and partitions to open it up to the original dimensions. We restored the original woodwork and used a Victorian-era paint scheme."

Museum officials purchased vintage lighting fixtures from the 1906 Oakes Agency building at the corner of Washington and Third Street.

"We replicated some period details that were known to us such as medallions for the light fixtures, cove molding and refinished hardwood flooring. We used original wood species and patterns and Victorian-era inspired carpeting. We're really pleased. It came out almost exactly the way we envisioned it from the start of the project. It gives it a really nice period feel and makes the building ready for another hundred years of use."

Future exhibit plans include an end scale model railroad layout with a working train, detailing structures that existed in the waterfront area in the 1940s, including a cross-lake ferry, water tower and other downtown features.

"It will show all the tracks, railroad buildings and waterfront area buildings," Radtke said. "They're building the structures from scratch so that they're completely accurate."

A bicycling history exhibit will be featured in late June.

Permanent exhibits will include an authentic railroad station waiting room, land transportation highlighting a rebuilt Grand Haven-manufactured 1921 Apex truck, a back gallery with maritime and Coast Guard history and local train exhibits.

"We dismantled the Apex truck, brought it inside and reassembled it," Radtke said. "It was rebuilt to the original specifications."

The curator thinks locals and tourists will be proud of the new depot museum.

"It's been a lot of work but it's rewarding to bring the building back to life," he said. "A lot of the original architecture was hidden behind the base paint, shag carpeting and 1970s paneling. We're really pleased with the way it came out."

Museum Director Dennis Swartout said the $100,000 renovation was money well spent.

"It's absolutely fabulous," Swartout said, adding that the museum saved about $20,000 thanks to skilled volunteers. "It's not your father's depot anymore, so to speak. People going in won't recognize it. We're anxious to get it open and let people experience it."

Depot museum hours are 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 12:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.