Nearly a year after a fire shut down the Curious Kids Museum downtown St. Joseph, its doors are getting ready to open – and possibly expand.
At the regular St. Joseph City Commission meeting on Monday, Curious Kids Museum Executive Director Lori Marciniak updated commissioners on the museum, which sits in the historic Memorial Hall at 415 Lake Boulevard on the bluff.
“The building has been repaired,” Marciniak said. “We are trying to get open still this summer. Ironically, there are issues with smoke alarms, so obviously we won’t open before that, but we’re working on it. Most of the exhibits are back in. … We’re super excited.”
Marciniak and the museum’s board of directors also submitted an offer to purchase the building from the city for $140,000. Currently, the museum leases the building from the city, and according to Marciniak, it still has more than 22 years left on its current lease.
According to Marciniak, The Curious Kids Museum and its board intends to completely renovate the existing building and add approximately 4,000 square feet in a multimillion dollar investment into the property. The two parties have been in discussions regarding a possible purchase since last fall.
“The Curious Kids Museum would ultimately like to turn these tragic events into a moment of growth for the museum and the city of St.Joseph.” Marciniak said. “This is an opportunity to evolve the Curious Kids Museum into an even more captivating and inspiring place for children and their adults, through complete renovation edition and expansion.”
Proposed building improvements include new glass galleries, a rooftop deck, exterior renovations and a renovated exhibit area. According to Marciniak, the total cost of the project would be about $8 million – $2 million for exhibits and $6 million for renovations.
“This project results in a top tier, we would argue, world class, hands-on children’s museum for the residents, schools, and guests of the city of St. Joseph and southwest Michigan,” Marciniak said. “The new and Improved Curious Kids Museum will reflect our diverse community and offer playful, interactive learning experiences. It will help children learn through play and exploration in environments designed just for them, an incredible and unmatched asset for families. In and guess to the city of St. Joseph.”
While the city did not take any action Monday, St. Joseph Mayor Laura Goos offered her perspective on the proposed offer.
“There are a lot of things for us to consider, including our fiduciary responsibility we have to our residents and our taxpayers,” Goos said. “The city staff and commission will want to take in many factors into consideration, including what a fair market value would be, public input, as well as the highest and best use of that asset. … We look forward to continuing to work with the Curious Kids Museum into the future and working for the betterment of our combined communities.”
For more details, see pages 200-204 of the agenda packet for Monday’s meeting.
