Reprinted from Sternberg Museum's member newsletter, “The Pteranodon.”
By BILL GASPER
Special to the Hays Post
“Dome Sweet Dome” is how one magazine dubbed Fort Hays State University’s plan to relocate Sternberg Museum from the campus to its present location next to Interstate 70. Others referred to it as “Dome on the Range.”
But no matter what it is/was called, the present location of Sternberg Museum has stood the test of time, and in March of 2024, it will celebrate its 25th anniversary.
Of course, numerous activities and celebrations are being planned and will be announced at a later date.
Although it officially opened on March 13, 1999, the journey to the new Sternberg Museum began in 1990 when FHSU purchased the building from the Chrysler Corporation for $1. Originally built as a sports club in 1983-84, it went bankrupt three years later. With the exception of small amounts of space occupied in subsequent years, the dome remained empty, costing Chrysler Credit Corporation, the financing firm thousands of dollars a year in taxes and maintenance.
Then FHSU President Edward Hammond and other university authorities worked with Chrysler to purchase the building, which at the time was valued at $4.5 million. Hammond commented that the new museum would “serve as a bonafide complement” to other Kansas tourist attractions. In fact, Hammond estimated that museum officials expected more than 250,000 visitors in its first year and as many as 350,000 annually by its third year of operation. At the time, the Sternberg Museum on campus drew around 20,000 annual visitors.
When FHSU assumed ownership of the building, it was in bad shape. According to the book “Dinosaurs To Dung Beetles: Expeditions Through Time,” author Gregory Liggett reported that the roof leaked, the pool had not been drained, pipes were broken, mold and mildew permeated the structure, and vandals had broken in and left considerable damage. The entire building was gutted, and university crews worked to stabilize the building.
Planning began immediately on the new building, and the process of raising funds began. At the time, it was estimated that the renovation costs would run around $6.5 million. The price tag swelled to $9.7 million due to escalating construction costs, the cost of education programs, and the installation of a sprinkler system that had to be custom-built to protect displays of computer-controlled dinosaurs. The funding shortfall delayed the project, but in early 1998, Hammond announced that the needed funding had been obtained and the opening date was set for March of 1999.
The project received funds from many sources in the private sector. Ross and Marianna Beach of Hays gave $1 million in 1993, followed by Darrell and Marilynn Seibel with a $700,000 donation of cash and land located near the new facility. Other benefactors included the family of Rick and Gail Kuehl, Don and Cecilia Bickle, the Fleharty Family Partnership, and numerous other large and small donations from the people of Hays and surrounding area.
The last six months of 1997 saw the greatest influx of funds for the project. The State Finance Council of the State of Kansas answered FHSU’s request for funds for the project with a matching grant of $250,000. The Hansen Foundation in Logan matched the grant and a snowball effect followed. Hansen later provided another $150,000 donation. Other financial support came from John and Susan Sykes of Tampa, Fla.; A.B. Engel of Ellis; Paul Miller of Hays; Jim and Pat Bartel of Hays; the Dreiling Charitable Trust Fund of Hays; and a $250,000 commitment from Bob and Pat Schmidt of Hays.
Sternberg has a long history at FHSU. Formally organized in 1926, the museum was named in 1969 for a family of famed fossil hunters, including George Sternberg, who served as museum curator for many years, and who in 1952, collected the now world-famous “fish with a fish” from an area fossil bed.
Sternberg’s collection not only includes remains of giant fishes and reptiles that lived in the Kansas seas, but also the elephants, camels, bison and other creatures that roamed the land after the seas receded.
When the museum was at McCartney Hall, the holdings not only reflected the area’s natural history, but also the human history of Fort Hays, the railroad and immigrant settlers. Archeological and ethnological artifacts from Indian and other cultures were also found at the museum.
When the new museum was completed, the decision was made to make it a natural history museum. The human history collections were donated to area museums such as the Ellis County Historical Society.
“It’s important for people to know that those collections were not disposed of but are in fact at other museums,” said Brad Penka, manager of visitor services. “For example, the gun collection, which many people are familiar with, is still owned by Sternberg but is now located at the Ellis County Historical Society as are other local artifacts. The coin collection went to the bank museum in Rush County, while all the art went to the art department. Those collections are still out there and being cared for. They are just at a different place.”