Bainbridge Island children’s museum unveils plans for new building
Published 11:11 am Friday, June 19, 2009
Along with Friday’s opening of its “Dino Dig” outdoor exhibit, Kids Discovery Museum will announce its plans to dig into a deeper project: the construction of a 5,000-square-foot facility at the top of the future Island Gateway development.
“It’s going to knock their socks off,” KiDiMu Board President Andrew Hill said.
Capital Campaign Director and former Executive Director Cheryl Dale said that KiDiMu’s stakeholders recognized a need for a new home shortly after the museum opened in 2005 on Madison Avenue.
It was a great space, Dale said, but it wasn’t perfect. And after a long evaluation process, participants agreed that building a new facility would best serve the organization and the larger Kitsap community.
KiDiMu launched the first phase of a capital campaign in January 2008, targeting larger donations and sponsors. Among other coups, the effort resulted in a $650,000 contribution from the C. Keith Birkenfeld estate, a $250,000 gift from a private donor and a grant from the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development.
“Bigger is better” was not a driving force as KiDiMu began working through its design needs with Bainbridge architecture firm Coates Design. Hill noted that the new space, just 750 square feet larger than the current space, will be among the smallest children’s museums on the West Coast.
Instead, the building design is intended to be smart, to accommodate the features and exhibits that have succeeded so far while creating flexibility, consistent interest for a wide age range, and practical elements like stroller parking and wheelchair accessibility. They also want the building to achieve Gold certification through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system.
“We really want to stress that for us, it’s not about growth, but sustainability,” Hill said.
Interior features will include a ground-floor welcome area and gift shop, with a half-story to incorporate a two-tiered exhibit, likely a giant tree. There will also be an interactive “Our Town” exhibit and a “Totally Tot” toddler area. Upstairs spaces will target ages 5-10 with science exhibits like the Rain Forest and Motion Madness: Fun with Physics.
As in the current building, there will be a party room and workshop space, and art projects offered every day.
Plans for outside include a water feature and living walls; parking will be offered both above- and underground.
Having now reached 75 percent of its $2,584,000 fundraising goal, KiDiMu is ready to draw in the community with efforts such as a membership drive, community focus groups and opportunities to name building and exhibit elements.
Also in the works is a series of events such as a free, multi-course meal by renowned Seattle chef Tom Douglas – donations gratefully accepted – and a scavenger hunt ending at the building site.
Getting input from kids and families is key. Hill said that recently a KiDiMu regular he knows, a boy around age six, heard about the new building and with visionary fervor intoned, “I see… a tree.”
He promised to draw up a design but didn’t immediately produce. When Hill ran into him later, the boy slapped his forehead and said, “Oh! I am going to get you those plans!”
“The excitement is very palpable when you start to bring little people into the process,” Hill said.
KiDiMu hopes to complete the capital campaign by the end of 2009 and open in April 2010. Then, as new Executive Director Susan Sivitz said, they hope to serve generations to come.
“This is about being one of those organizations that is there in 50 years,” Sivitz said.
Dig this
Summer begins today at KiDiMu with the opening of Dino Dig and other outdoor exhibits along with classes and crafts. See www.kidimu.org.
See artist renderings of the planned KiDiMu building below. Art by Coates Design, courtesy KiDiMu
