BOYERTOWN >> The Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles announced it will be temporarily closed while its main gallery undergoes major renovations. Its entire collection has been moved out so a new cement floor can move in.
The museum expects to reopen in six to seven weeks once the construction is complete.
Curator Kendra Cook says this is something the facility has wanted to do for a long time.
“The building is pretty empty looking now,” Cook said on Feb. 22, readying for the construction process to get underway. “We moved it all out.”
She said the main focus is the floor right now.
“This is an old factory so it’s uneven in spots. It’s not smooth, so we’re going to make sure it’s smoothed out. It won’t be level, but it will be smooth and it will be properly grated.”
The new addition will not only make a difference aesthetically, but is also expected make it easier for the staff to change around the displays.
“It will be easier and safer for everybody,” said Cook. “It’s been talked about for a while, so now we’ve decided we’re finally in a place where we can do it.”
Since a new floor has been a wish-list item for a long time, Cook says the museum has been saving up for it for many years. Now the prep work has been completed and the construction is kicking off.
“We’ve spent a lot of time prepping, talking to different contractors, and getting different ideas and approaches on how to accomplish it. Now we’re ready for the construction to begin here soon.”
The estimated completion date is six to seven weeks. While the flooring in the main project, Cook says some smaller projects will likely get completed as well.
“When we move the collection back in we’ll probably change the layout a little bit – freshen that up too, while we have the chance. While we’re torn apart here, we might also do some other smaller projects that our volunteers and staff will do – painting, things like that.”
She said the smaller things may not get noticed right away, but they do make an impact.
“It’s exciting, it’s a lot of work but I think everyone here is pretty excited about it.”