By
NICK GOSNELLHutch
Post
HUTCHINSON — Cosmosphere CEO Jim Remar notes that portions of the Hall of Space Museum are being worked on as of Monday.
"We are in the process of upgrading some of the oldest galleries in the Hall of Space Museum," Remar said. "What is known as our German gallery, the first gallery completed in 1997, is going to get a facelift. Then, we'll also renovate our existing Redstone and Sputnik galleries and then what is currently our Kennedy Theater."
The portions of the museum will tell the same story, just with some upgraded equipment.
"What we're going to do is upgrade the exhibitry, update lighting and graphics, open up a lot of the space," Remar said. "The flow will be a much more open and friendly pattern to the visitors and then we'll also tell the story in a little better chronological order than what we presently do. It will also allow the artifacts to be showcased and to allow the visitor to engage and enjoy the artifacts better than what the current displays allow for."
Experts from Hutchinson will make sure the exhibits are dealt with properly during the construction process.
"This week, we're going to start with some demo of the exhibitry and moving some of the larger artifacts out and then starting next week, we'll be full demo. Then we'll start construction and then hope to be open and ready by the holiday season."
Remar said the renovation has been on the drawing board since before COVID, but they finally have the funding in place.