Renovation Gives New Life To The Wenatchee Valley Museum

Open space, natural lighting and easy access are some of the benefits of the renovation now concluding at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center.

Thanks to grants from the Icicle Fund, Community Foundation of NCW and community donations, the museum has been able to fulfill a longtime goal of moving our Main Gallery to the ground floor. This will make it easier for visitors to explore the new exhibits that frequently rotate in and out of the gallery: art shows, traveling exhibits and thematic history displays.

Opening the large space beyond the Quad, or performance area, has been a major effort. First we had to empty out the pioneer-era exhibits and put artifacts into storage. 

Two of the antique cars were temporarily moved offsite; the 1907 Sears is currently in the museum lobby. Many of the pioneer artifacts will reappear next year when we create a new exhibit upstairs in the former Main Gallery space that will highlight early Wenatchee history.

Once the artifacts were safe, contractors tore down walls and dismantled the Victorian House.

Then they removed a false ceiling to reveal clerestory windows that let in a lot of light. Sheet rocking, painting, sanding floors, and installing brand-new lights and sound system has given the staff several months’ worth of opportunity to cheerfully ignore the noise, dust and odor that inevitably accompany a major remodeling project. Except for the floors, which will be refinished this fall, we’re just about ready to present our new exhibit space to you.

It’ll formally open on Friday, June 1, with the “Baseball in Wenatchee” exhibit. We’re sure you’ll love the baseball history display and its new home!