Sioux City Public Museum receives two million U.S. dollars grant to the new site.

The Sioux Rural Heritage Foundation has received word this afternoon that the Vision Iowa Board awarded a $ 2 million dollars in grants today to Sioux City Public Museum's new site in central Sioux City. The Governing Board voted unanimously to approve the financing by the EU Attraction and Tourism (Muggy) grant program of $ 13.8 one million projects. 

"This grant from Vision Iowa Board is a very important step towards completing the capital campaign to make our new museum a reality. We thank them for this critical support to this excellent project which has received broad support in the community," says Mike Bennett, capital campaign chairman. "The campaign is now entering the" home stretch ", and we invite everyone in society to reflect on a promise to take it over the line.”

The grant is the final result of months of effort by city leaders and community volunteers. Vision Iowa application was filed by Sioux Rural Heritage Foundation, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) created to oversee the design, construction and fundraising of the new Sioux City Public Museum. 

$ 2 million in Sioux Rural Heritage Foundation raise additional 2 million U.S. dollars within the next 180 days. Bennett award should encourage other donors for an additional $ 1.1 million in nearly 300 supporters of "Our New Museum" capital campaign. 

The last phase of the capital campaign will include appealing to the general public for support. An open last part of the capital campaign will be offered on 20 June and 27 10-2 museum's website contains the most recent capital campaign news as well as provide information and a pledge card. 

The development of a new museum facility represents a major public / private partnership. City of Sioux City has purchased the former department store building for use as a new museum, and has appropriated $ 1.5 million to the project. The new museum partnership. entire first floor of the building - approximately 55,000 square meters of floor space, with about 10,000 square meters in two floors of space as an atrium in the southwest corner of the complete first floor of the architectural firm of Neumann Monson Wictor in Sioux City, the most important designers. The local business partner in their application with Bahr Vermeer Haecker Architects of Lincoln, Nebraska, who has extensive experience in museum design. 

Today's decision means the bidding process for renovation of the former JC Penney building at 607 Fourth Street will begin in the coming weeks. Early architectural renderings call for a dramatic façade with a glass exterior, through the artifacts and activities can be seen from outside. 

Placement on 4th and Nebraska Streets, places the museum in the heart of Sioux City's newly designated downtown cultural and entertainment district, near Sioux City Art Center, Orpheum Theater, other exterior through which artifacts and entertainment, and the Central Business District. Foundation Board imagines Nebraska Streets, places the museum as a regional destination, which contributes to the cultural attractions in the museum at the new facility will provide more choice space downtown culture and entertainment, and Sioux City Public Museum collections. Currently, board depicts Sioux City Public Museum is only able to produce 15 percent of his collection, which includes more than 250,000 photographs and 50,000 objects. The new facility will include multipurpose classrooms, offices, a conference display and exhibition preparation rooms, food prep rooms, a theater, large temporary exhibition space, archive, and a gift shop. 

The Sioux City Public Museum traces its roots back to the late 1800s, later becoming a division of the city of Sioux City in 1938. The museum opened in Pierce Mansion in 1961.