THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener to expand into bank next door
Period of consultation next step for THEMUSEUM expansion, CEO says
THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener is expected to double in size, expanding into a bank branch next door.
THEMUSEUM intends to acquire Bank of Montreal building on King Street.
BMO Bank of Montreal offered the building as part of a sole purchaser agreement, and pledged $1 million to help offset the cost.
"What we will now do is go into a period of consultation," said THEMUSEUM CEO David Marskell. "A very important part of the next six or seven months will be working with the arts and culture communities, the universities, Conestoga, to seek their input of what this building should be."
Marskell said the current location is at capacity, and their current funding model does not make THEMUSEUM sustainable.
He said expanding by approximately 40,000 square feet will put THEMUSEUM on a path toward sustainability.
The not-for-profit museum initially opened as a children's museum in 2003 and has since grown to almost 100,000 visitors annually.
