The Virginia Historical Society is preparing to reopen its Virginia Museum of History & Culture, which has undergone an 18-month, $30 million-plus renovation that is the most extensive in the institution’s 200-year history.
The Museum, located in Richmond, is planning a grand reopening for the weekend of May 14 and 15, when it will officially unveil to the public a renovation that touches nearly two-thirds of the museum’s 250,000 sf. The project adds about 50 percent more exhibition space, a new research library, a grand two-story entrance atrium, an immersive orientation theater, several community meeting spaces, a connection between the Museum of History & Culture with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, an enhanced green space, and new amenities that include a café and museum store.
Glavé Holmes is the architect for this renovation, and Whiting-Turner Construction the GC. The PRD Group provided the exhibition design in partnership with the Museum’s internal curatorial staff.
![A rendering of the exterior of the renovated Virginia Museum of History & Culture](/sites/default/files/inline-images/VMHC%20Exterior_Final_extended.jpg)
(The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is also undergoing a $190 million renovation, designed by SmithGroup, that will impact 45,000 of the museum’s existing 650,000 sf of space, and include a new 100,000-sf wing and a 45,000-sf standalone Collections Center building. Construction is scheduled to start in the summer of 2023 for completion in the summer of 2025.)
Some of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture’s main goals from its renovation are to improve its infrastructure and programming, expand attendance by 25 percent, and extend the length of a guest’s visit by 50 percent.
VIRGINIA’S FIVE MAJOR REGIONS HIGHLIGHTED
As part of its reopening, the Museum of History & Culture—whose collection includes more than nine million objects—will debut exhibitions and galleries the present new approaches to learning. For example, Our Commonwealth, a more than 5,000-sf long-term exhibition with a 15-ft-wide video mural, will provide an in-depth, multi-sensory exploration through the five major regions of Virginia, featuring stories and artifacts from partner organizations and cultural institutions throughout the state. The exhibition will include living murals—large-scale, changing digital projections—and custom soundscapes that immerse them in the arts, culture, food, music, industry, and people of each region.
![A section of the museum's Our Commonwealth exhibit](/sites/default/files/inline-images/VMHC%20OC%20A2%20Tidewater%20F2%20201208.jpg)
Other exhibits include American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith, is a Smithsonian-organized display that will dynamically bring the great American experiment of democracy to life. Treasures of Virginia will feature objects associated with Virginians who, through extraordinary leadership and creativity, have worked to shape the future of both our state and our nation. Cheers, Virginia! explores alcohol crafting and consumption practices in Virginia across time. Virginia Explorers is a new interactive learning space for the museum’s youngest guests. The orientation theater will screen Imagine Virginia, a 17-minute film highlighting indelible moments and scenes in the state’s history. The film serves as an introduction to the reimagined museum.
![The renovation included extensive landscaping.](/sites/default/files/inline-images/VMHC%20Landscape%20Plan.jpg)
Beyond new physical spaces, the Museum is investing time and resources into a long-term collections partnership with the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia. In addition, the Museum is a key partner with educators across the state, enhancing the stories that can be told and supplementing the curricula that are pivotal for developing an informed citizenry.
Related Stories
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
| Sep 22, 2014
Biloxi’s new Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum is like a ship in a bottle
Nine years after the Museum of Maritime and Seafood Industry in Biloxi, Miss., was damaged by Hurricane Katrina’s 30-foot tidal surge, the museum reopened its doors in a brand new, H3-designed building.
| Sep 22, 2014
Sound selections: 12 great choices for ceilings and acoustical walls
From metal mesh panels to concealed-suspension ceilings, here's our roundup of the latest acoustical ceiling and wall products.
| Sep 16, 2014
Shigeru Ban’s design wins Tainan Museum of Fine Arts competition
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban has won an international competition organized by The Tainan Museum of Art in Taiwan. Ban's design features cascading volumes with an auditorium, classrooms, and exhibition galleries.
| Sep 15, 2014
Ranked: Top international AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Gensler, and Jacobs top BD+C's rankings of U.S.-based design and construction firms with the most revenue from international projects, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 15, 2014
Argentina reveals plans for Latin America’s tallest structure
Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announces the winning design by MRA+A Álvarez | Bernabó | Sabatini for the capital's new miexed use tower.
| Sep 9, 2014
Using Facebook to transform workplace design
As part of our ongoing studies of how building design influences human behavior in today’s social media-driven world, HOK’s workplace strategists had an idea: Leverage the power of social media to collect data about how people feel about their workplaces and the type of spaces they need to succeed.
| Sep 7, 2014
Behind the scenes of integrated project delivery — successful tools and applications
The underlying variables and tools used to manage collaboration between teams is ultimately the driving for success with IPD, writes CBRE Healthcare's Megan Donham.
| Sep 3, 2014
New designation launched to streamline LEED review process
The LEED Proven Provider designation is designed to minimize the need for additional work during the project review process.
| Sep 2, 2014
Ranked: Top green building sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
AECOM, Gensler, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.