With the new year, the Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum is going through a makeover.
During the past few months, the BRHS&M went through a $3.9-million reimagination, redesign and renovation in preparation for a soon-to-be-announced reopening to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 20222.
Executive director Mary Csar said the museum worked with Creative Art Unlimited of Pinellas Park to design the space layout and create new interactive exhibits for the museum that will “incorporate many more artifacts and memorabilia, plus other valuable information.”
‘The historic Town Hall has been our home since the mid-1980s,” says Csar. “But, due to space limitations, our exhibitions have been temporary and largely two-dimensional. Not any longer. The dynamic redesign of the new Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum will allow for both permanent and changing exhibitions that will appeal to families, students and research buffs of all ages—all under the concept of History Alive!”
The Council Chamber will feature display areas and cabinetry for changing exhibits and will also function as the museum’s lecture hall. The redesigned Research Library will house the Society’s extensive archival collections and provide workstations for research patrons. At the new permanent galleries, visitors can explore the following:
- Historic Timeline starting with the earliest Pre-Columbian inhabitants up to the 21st Century.
- Pioneer Days focused on the local heritage of a small farming community.
- Addison Mizner, featuring the museum’s important collection of Mizner Industries and architectural drawings and images of the great architect’s plans, which put the tiny town of Boca Raton on the map in the 1920s.
- World War II, when the Boca Raton Army Airfield served as the Air Corps’ top secret radar training facility.
- IBM, featuring an extraordinary collection of functioning vintage IBM PCs.
The Boca Historical Society & Museum is still raising funds for this ambitious renovation, and naming opportunities are still available. To learn more, call 561.395.6766 or email [email protected].
