Historical Commission Agenda and Packet 2016 07 06

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Page 7 of 150 Louisville Historical Museum Interpretive Plan I. History of the Louisville Historical Museum II. The Museum's Mission and Partnering Organizations III. Timeline of the Museum's Organizational History IV. Description of the Museum Campus V. Defining the Museum's Niche VI. Whom Does the Museum Serve? VII. Overview of the Collections and What is Collected VIII. Strengths and Challenges of the Site IX. Interpretive Theme Statement X. Interpretive Themes XI. Practical Implementation of the Interpretive Plan XII. Museum Business Plan Review I. History of the Louisville Historical Museum Situated between Denver and Boulder,the City of Louisville, Colorado receives national attention for being one of the best places to live in the United States.This small city of about 20,000 was historically a hardscrabble coal mining town of one-tenth its current size with many immigrant families. In fact, mining was the primary occupation for Louisville men for over 70 years.The Louisville Historical Museum tells the story of the Louisville area to tourists, residents,and students.The Museum is geographically very accessible and well-situated,as it is located right on Main Street in historic downtown Louisville within easy walking distance of shops and restaurants. The Louisville Historical Museum is made up of three historic wood frame buildings:the Jacoe Store, Tomeo House,and Jordinelli House.The Jacoe Store was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, and all three buildings were designated as Louisville Landmarks in 2005. (A small historic summer kitchen and an authentic outhouse both moved to the site, round out the list of structures.)The combined square footage of these three buildings is approximately 2,940 square feet(Jacoe Store, 1,320 sq.ft.;Tomeo House,sq.ft., 750;Jordinelli House, sq.ft.,870). Opened in 1986,the Historical Museum has an estimated 17,000 items in its permanent collection.The Museum's permanent collection has a great deal of depth with respect to historic photos,coal mining artifacts and maps,and business items from historic Louisville.The Museum not only has interpretive exhibits for visitors but is also the repository of the City's archival materials for researchers and City staff. The Museum is organized to be part of the Department of Library&Museum Services within the Louisville city administration.The City has employed a staff member to manage it since 1999. Currently, the Museum's operations are handled by a Museum Coordinator(.77 FTE for the Museum)and a Museum Tech (.5 FTE),who report to the Director of Library& Museum Services for the City of Louisville. For several years,the Museum has been fortunate to have the assistance of about forty 1