The Tribune Democrat, Johnstown, PA

Local News

September 20, 2008

Children’s Museum nearing completion

If asked to describe a museum, most people would not think of mentioning a 20-foot climbing wall, a “water room” and a do-it-yourself sound studio.

But then again, the staff at Johnstown Area Heritage Association is not building a typical museum.

After years of planning, a new, 7,000-square-foot Children’s Museum finally is taking shape at the association’s Heritage Discovery Center off Broad Street.

And administrators seem just as excited as the kids who are expected to swarm into the facility when it opens later this year.

“It’s going to be a real resource for families, because you can come back again and again,” association spokeswoman Shelley Johansson said.

While many museums consist of static exhibits in a quiet, studious setting, the Discovery Center’s third floor will be overtaken by colorful displays with plenty of moving parts.

“It’s all very interactive,” Johansson said. “You do things.”

The idea is to teach children – ideally, ages 4 to 10 – all about Johnstown’s history, culture, geography and geology.

A central feature will be the hulking “climbing wall,” which features a working Inclined Plane and a slide that deposits kids in a padded coal cart.

Exhibits will be spread throughout several rooms. Some examples:

nA water room that includes features on wetlands, dam building and fishing.

“There will be all kinds of water in here,” Johansson said.

“Hence the plastic walls and tile floors.”

nA steel mill and, nearby, a store.

“You work in a steel mill, you get a paycheck, then you go to the store and spend your paycheck,” said Richard Burkert, heritage association executive director.

nA costume “fashion show” and a circular studio that will allow kids to mix sounds from nature, work and a home.

“This sound mixing can be a lot of fun,” Burkert said with a laugh. “They can make their own ode to Johnstown.”

nA station where children can plan and build their own town.

nAn outdoor area that includes native and aquatic plants.

All aspects of the museum are formulated specifically with Johnstown in mind: Exhibits were designed with the help of a New York firm and custom-fabricated by a Virginia company.

That also means the project was not cheap. But it is part of an overall, multimillion-dollar investment at the Discovery Center – formerly a raw industrial space that hosted Germania Brewing Co.

Additions include new offices, rooftop terraces, a cafe and a three-story Iron and Steel exhibit that eventually will include a steel-making movie shown on a 30-foot-wide screen.

First-floor classrooms will include “laptop computers and audio-visual equipment so we can do formal educational programs,” Burkert said.

On the floor above the Children’s Museum, the association has installed a “social club” that features a bar from Johnstown’s West End Polish Citizens’ Club.

The facility is available for rent for private functions.

And the building’s fifth floor will accommodate temporary museum exhibits.

“What we’re trying to do is position the building as a multipurpose community center,” Burkert said.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News
Poll

Should the speed limit on sections of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and related highways be raised to 70 mph from 65 mph.

Yes.
No.
I don't care because I never travel on those tolled roadways.
     View Results
AP Video
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium 50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
House Ads
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Popular Searches
Powered by Local.com