Fort Walla Walla Museum

Fort Walla Walla Museum
Carrying the Past into the Future

Keeping the distinctiveness of a changing community is accomplished by preserving its heritage.
Keeping it safe for future generations is our duty.

The Need
·Many of today’s children are disconnected from our shared past. Enhancements at the Museum will allow us to better connect children with our heritage . This helps kids achieve a stronger sense of place, belonging, and ownership, thus creating better community members.

·Heritage is the key component of a community’s identity. In these rapidly changing times, a robust museum is one of the best ways to maintain our community’s distinctiveness.

·More operating revenues are required to support a full suite of heritage services for our community. Increased services will grow membership numbers and attract more visitors. Our current museum store is drastically undersized; increasing this space will lead to more sales.

·With more than $2.2 million in gifts and pledges to date, the Museum’s fundraising campaign is well underwayt. In order to attract grants from outside our community, more community support is needed. Much of what has been raised has matching requirements. Those dollars may have to be returned if the project does not begin by the end of the year.

Benefits
Phase I of our service and facilities enhancement will provide an orientation theatre, 7,600 sq. ft. of additional exhibit space, an office for an education coordinator, more children’s hands-on stations, a larger Museum Store, and the Grand Hall that will function as the Museum’s social hub. Additional benefits include improved restrooms, parking, and handicapped access. Green design and construction with low maintenance materials will save energy and reduce annual operating expenses. This project will lead to increased operating revenues, provide a significant increase in our already strong economic impact on the community, and move us toward being a year-round operation. This will position the Museum to become a major regional destination.

Groundbreaking for an 11,032 sq. ft. new Entrance and Exhibit Hall is planned for spring of 2009, with completion later that year.

Fort WallaWalla Museum has been planning for an expanded facility for three decades. As with most nonprofit organizations, tight operating budgets and limited resources have not permitted all dreams from being realized. Strong qualitative growth over the last decade has created new opportunities. With more than a million dollars of grants for special projects, increased community support, and higher visitation rates, the Museum has done a better job of caring for its collections and providing more services to the community.

This growth has created momentum that will help the Museum become a cultural center for the community and a major regional attraction that will enhance the already strong economic impact the Museum has on area communities.

Our primary service area is a one hour’s radius around the Museum. We also serve people from all 50 states,more than 30 foreign countries annually, and upwards of 60 Washington communities. While our mission is to preserve and share the rich heritage of our region, we attract thousands of tourists who spend money on shopping, food, gas and lodging.

The Museum, following extensive surveys of community members and visitors, is planning to construct new facilities to house the expanded services that were requested. The new space is designed to meet the criteria for a Silver LEED status, a high ranking qualification for “Green” construction.

Because of the overall size of this project, the Museum will undertake it in three phases. Designed to have significant impact on the level of services provided to our community, the major components of Phase I include spaces dedicated to kids, an orientation theatre, expanded display space plus a special exhibit gallery, the Grand Hall which will serve as the social hub of the Museum, new parking, and expanded modern restrooms. A larger museum store will offer visitors a greater selection of heritage items and generate more revenue to support operations.

Grand Hall with 1861 Concord Stagecoach, Orientation Theater
and new Museum Store.
The Earth-tone floor will show subtle horse and wagon tracks.
Grand Hall rendering by architect Jim Stenkamp

From the proposed parking lot, the new visitor Entrance building will offer a clear, welcoming entry point for visitors to the Museum. The character of the Entrance building will convey a sense of connection to the history of the region. The overall design will emulate a classic, 19th century western fort with buildings surrounding interior parade grounds. All the exterior architectural traits originate from early images of the various fur trade and military Forts Walla Walla.

As people walk into the Entrance Building, the connection to regional heritage will be immediate. Visitors will experience a territorial street scene, seeing the various rooms with building facades. The earth-colored concrete floor will show subtle human and horse tracks, as would a typical street from pioneer days. Visitors will find a livery stable next to an original Walla Walla stagecoach and a replica of Schwabacher’s Store, one of the earliest retail establishments in the region, housing the Museum’s own store. A Museum orientation video will play in an old-fashioned theater. The Grand Hall’s large, open space will be suitable for many functions, including ample space for art shows, special traveling exhibits, public performances, and more, serving as the social hub of the Museum.

More children’s hands-on stations are planned for Phase I. The hands-on stations may address themes of the early military presence, Indian People, the fur trade, Oregon Trail, and early transportation. New exhibit space will allow for more stories to be told about soldiers, pioneers, and Indian people.

The new parking area will be much closer to the Museum’s entrance than at present. The potentially dangerous situation of school-age children walking in traffic areas will be eliminated and access for handicapped individuals will be significantly improved. The parking lot is designed to incorporate the turning radius of a large bus and will include adequate parking space for the many school and tour buses visiting the Museum each year.

Supporting the future of the community and our children is important to maintaining our distinctive Walla Walla character. We also hope to double or triple our already substantial impact on the local economy through tourism. Your gift or pledge to the Services and Facilities Enhancement Project is critical to our success.

DONOR RECOGNITION PROGRAM
Gifts of $1,000 or more: any individual or business choosing to particiapte will receive:

Recognition on the Capital Campaign Donor Board in the Entrance Building will occur at the following levels (equal to or greater than):
$1,000; $5,000; $10,000; $25,000; $50,000; $100,000, $250,000; $500,000; and $1,000,000.

· Recognition in our Annual Report

Naming opportunities exist for individuals, families, or groups who wish to have thier name on a special place:

Pioneer Gallery	$750,000
Grand Hall	$500,000
Museum Store	$300,000
Special Exhibit Gallery	$250,000
Orientation Theater	$175,000
Fort Walla Walla Gallery	$160,000
Main Entry Blockhouse	$150,000
Lewis & Clark Gallery	$75,000
Indian Peoples Gallery	$65,000
Military Room	$50,000
Military Memorial	$40,000
Corner Blockhouse	$25,000
Education Office	$25,000
Other opportunities are also available.

You can help. Donate using DONATE NOW JustGive.org. Be sure to designate your preference for the Services and Facilities Enhancement Project. Undesignated donations are placed in the General Fund.

If you prefer not to donate online, consider downloading a gift form.
Mail your check and the pledge form to:
           Fort Walla Walla Museum
           755 Myra Road
           Walla Walla, WA 99362

The Capital Campaign for the Services and Facilities Enhancement Project is coordinated by Fort Walla Walla Museum Board members Tony Wenham and Jill Zagelow. The Capital Campaign Steering Committee includes Larry Beaulaurier, Maita Kibler, Pete Reid, Sonia Schmitt, and Fort Walla Walla Museum Board Treasurer Barbara Stubblefield.