Historical Commission Agenda and Packet 2016 08 03 JT

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Page 27 of 150 VIII. Strengths and Challenges of the Site Strengths of the Site As discussed above in the section on the Museum's niche, the Museum enjoys an ideal physical situation on Main Street as the northern anchor of the downtown business district, and its landmarked historic buildings offer interesting and authentic experiences to visitors. The planned pedestrian "Gateway" coming under the railroad tracks on South Street will bring people to the doors of the Museum, where they can then turn and view the commercial district of Main Street going to the south. In a related development, due to plans made for the 2016 Taste of Louisville with the City and the Chamber of Commerce, the public was for the first time able to walk to the Museum without having to encounter vehicular traffic on South Street. Also in 2016, the Museum staff plans to open the Museum immediately after the Labor Day Parade in order to welcome the public in from Main Street. The Museum staff is looking forward to similar opportunities to take advantage of the Museum's wonderful Main Street location. The lovely Museum grounds regularly receive compliments from the public due to the efforts of the Parks staff (and, in the case of the rose garden, the members of the Baha'is of Louisville) who maintain them. City staff members from the Parks & Recreation Department also plow and shovel snow and prune trees. Staff members from Public Works very helpfully maintain the buildings and the Museum's security system and fire protection system. The City funds the cleaning of the Museum buildings twice a week. Another asset for the Museum is the existence of the empty lot right on the Museum campus where the Big House, then the metal shop, used to be located. Through the Needs Assessment process, Metcalfe Architecture & Design determined that the empty lot will provide adequate space for the construction of a new building to meet the Museum's needs. (Also, for the City to use this space constructively for a new City building on land that the City already owns will involve the removal of the unattractive concrete foundation that many have called an eyesore.) Another strength of the site involves the physical characteristics and historic natures of the Jacoe Store and the Tomeo House (in addition to what they provide in terms of authenticity and their individual histories). By necessity, due to their small sizes and locations of doors and windows, the buildings do not provide wide spaces for showing artifacts to the public in glass exhibit cases, and in the situation of the Tomeo House, the presence of exhibit cases would take away from the interpretation of the building as a historic house. As a result, many artifacts are "out" and not behind glass. While this can present challenges for parents bringing young children into the Museum, Metcalfe viewed this practice as a positive one because the items are so accessible to the public. Other strengths of the site relate to collections storage. While the collections could be stored more efficiently, the items that require climate control, which is the majority of the items, do have climate control. The collections are contained in a clean and stable environment, free of threats such as harmful insect infestations or the presence of moisture. The City funds the acquisition of archival storage boxes, and the storage rooms have low light levels. Due to the City's installation of a fire protection system and security system, there is protection from fire and theft where the collection is stored in the Museum buildings. The Museum staff takes very seriously its responsibility to preserve and care for the collections, which contains so many treasures documenting Louisville, its residents, and its 19