Improvement Project Info
Construction Continues!
Watch the trailer being towed away September 26, 2008
Slide show of the Large Storehouse
Slide show of the Men's Dwelling House
Photos Nov-Dec 2007
Photos Jan-Feb 2008
Photos February/March 2008
Photos April 2008
Summer Photos 2008
Click here for detailed bond project information
Thanks to funding from the Metro Parks Tacoma Capital Improvement Bond and a grant from the Capital Projects Fund for Washington's Heritage, Fort Nisqually is breaking ground on two new buildings in the Fall of 2007.
The Interpretive Center and the Education Building will be housed in reconstructions of two of Fort Nisqually's original structures – the Men's Dwelling House and the Large Storehouse. The original Men's Dwelling House was built 1846/47 and used to house laborers employed at the Fort. It was a 30'x 50' or 1,500 square foot dwelling house located along the west wall of the Fort's palisade. The Large Storehouse was built 1844/45 and used to store furs before shipping them to Europe as well as supplies for the Sales Shop. It was a 30'x 60' two-story building located along the east wall of the Fort's palisade.
The exterior appearance of both reconstructions will match the original historic structures, while the interiors contain climate-controlled spaces for modern museum functions. The Men's Dwelling House Interpretive Center will house orientation exhibits, hands-on education area and museum store. The Large Storehouse Education Building will house the artifact storage facility and classroom space on the first floor and research library and administrative office on the second floor.
These new structures will serve a vital need at Fort Nisqually. Climate-controlled, secure artifact storage, improved and expanded exhibit space, and an accessible research library will greatly enhance Fort Nisqually's ability to care for the artifact collection, present the Fort's history to the visiting public, and share the Fort's research collection with students, scholars and others.
Benefits: The benefits of the Interpretive Center and Education Building to Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, its visitors and to the over all preservation of Washington State history and heritage will be significant.
- Fort Nisqually's artifact collection will be housed in safe, secure, climate controlled storage while not on display. The artifact collection consists of over 5,000 items.
- A larger, climate-controlled exhibit space will enable Fort Nisqually to display a larger percentage of the collection as well as develop temporary exhibits focusing on specific topics or events. Exhibits will incorporate hands-on components to encourage children's interest and understanding of specific topics. Small groups and individuals will also be able to view a short history of Fort Nisqually and its role in the 19th century development of Puget Sound in the Interpretive Center.
- A climate-controlled interior classroom space in the Education Building for education programs, lectures and classes will positively augment the already active education program at Fort Nisqually. This education space will also allow the education staff to expand their programming, especially during periods of inclement weather.
- Accessibility to Fort Nisqually's research collection will be significantly improved. At present, Fort Nisqually's reference materials and documents are located in several different buildings due to lack of space, making retrieval of information more difficult and time consuming than necessary. The research library in Education Building will allow Fort Nisqually to make this valuable resource readily available to scholars and other interested individuals.
- A theme related Museum Store will allow Fort Nisqually to generate income to support education programs as well as extend and enhance visitor's experiences with books on local history, handmade items by local artists reflective of 19th century arts and skills interpreted at the fort as well as replicas of 19th century games, toys, musical instruments and much more.
Last Updated: Jul 14, 2009 8:58 AM