JOHNSTOWN —
Workshops to gather input for renovations to the Johnstown Flood Museum were held Friday at the historic structure on Washington Street.
The discussions were conducted by Paul Rosenblatt of Springboard Design of Pittsburgh.
The firm will provide recommendations to be used in planning the improvements, as well as for fundraising.
The building was constructed as a library after the 1889 Flood as a gift of Andrew Carnegie. It became a museum in 1973 and later was refurbished and reopened in 1989.
“It’s been 22 years,” said Richard Burkert, Johnstown Area Heritage Association president. “We need to update.
“It’s worthwhile to take a look at the story we tell and how we tell it.”
Mary Jane McCready of Johnstown was one of nearly two dozen who attended the afternoon session.
McCready said she was there because her late husband, Jeffrey, had a strong connection to the 1889 flood.
“His great-grandfather died in the flood,” she said.
McCready had her own ideas for the museum.
“I would like to see personal stories put to the statistics,” she said. “If I was a tourist coming to town, I would want to hear the stories.”
That was exactly the sort of comment Rosenblatt was looking for.
“These workshops are our starting point,” he said. “We’re really interested in what people who live here have to say. They know the place better than we do.”
Burkert said that while the museum is dated, it remains a very popular tourist attraction.
“We’ve had three quarters of a million visitors since we opened,” he said.
Rosenblatt called the building a national treasure.
“It’s been maintained in impeccable condition,” he said.
“It’s a jewel.”
Local News
Related Photos
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Paul Rosenblatt of Springboard, a Pittsburgh-based architectural firm, posts suggestions about renovations at the Johnstown Flood Museum on Friday during a workshop at the museum. John Rucosky
Discussion
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