Portlan Museum Shut for Upgrade
By Michelle Day
The Portland Museum has closed so its staff can prepare for the installation of a new climate-control system that will better preserve its collections.
U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth's office announced last week that the museum, at 2308 Portland Ave., had received $364,126 in federal funding for the project.
The museum tells the story of western Louisville's old Portland neighborhood, once a busy river town separate from Louisville. Its collection includes artifacts, costumes, paintings, photographs, documents, tools and oral histories. Nathalie Andrews, the museum's executive director, said the museum hadn't been able to afford the climate project before.
She said the museum had to close immediately because it has a small staff and everything must be moved out before work can begin around September.
"The collection is the heart of the museum, and you're trying to protect that so it will be there for a long, long time," she said. "In order to do that, you have to have the right climate and environment for it."
Andrews said group tours that are already scheduled will be honored, but no more tours will be scheduled until February.
The new climate system is completely different from the old one, she said. One difference is that it will dry the air before cooling so there's less moisture in it.
"Dirt, light and mold are the enemy. And moisture," Andrews said. "You really want to be dry."
The project will be monitored by Landmark Facilities Group Inc., an engineering firm based in Norwalk, Conn.
Yarmuth announced the funding, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, on July 21.
"The Portland Museum is one of the treasures in Louisville that celebrates our rich heritage and offers inspiration, education, and fun to young generations today," he said in a written statement.
The museum hopes to reopen early next year.
7/31/2008
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