Elmhurst gemstone museum moving to Oak Brook

A museum focused on gemstones, mineral carvings and earth science that's called an Elmhurst park home for 55 years plans to move to Oak Brook.

The Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art is converting the first floor of an Oak Brook office building into its new space and plans to move there in two years, museum Director Dorothy Asher said Wednesday.

The move, slated for fall 2019, will make the museum's building in Wilder Park at 220 Cottage Hill Avenue property of the Elmhurst Park District.

After 55 years in the space built specifically for the museum's collections of mosaics, dioramas, jade carvings, rocks, minerals, fossils, gemstones and organic gems, officials said it's time for a change.

"Our collection, programming and events have grown to the point where the existing facilities are not adequate," museum board member Louis Lizzadro said in a news release.

The museum will move to 1220 Kensington Road in Oak Brook, a two-story office building near hotels and corporate offices.

"We don't have that much visibility where we're at right now because we're kind of in a residential area," Asher said about the site at the south side of Wilder Park, near Elmhurst College. "It's a trade-off here because we're giving up the park location and the proximity to downtown Elmhurst for a location that is maybe more heavily traveled."

The museum hopes its move could attract more tourists to a facility that will allow expanded space for more than 200 artifacts.

"We want to tell more of the narrative between how jade is found and then carved," Asher said. "I'm always looking at the questions that visitors have. We try to answer those questions in exhibits."

The first floor of the Oak Brook office building will be renovated to include a 90-seat lecture hall, a museum shop, 7,500 square feet of exhibit space, a room for special exhibits, a library/conference room, offices, storage, a new entrance, a drop-off lane and a large patio.

Asher said the museum has been mulling a change for the past five years. The original idea was to add to the existing building, despite its first story being built partially below ground, making accessibility a challenge.

"When we looked at expanding," Asher said, "people were not really on board with taking up green space."

Then the museum considered moving its building to a different location with the park, moving to other buildings in Elmhurst or finding a new home in Lombard, Naperville or Oak Brook. Oak Brook won out.

Elmhurst Mayor Steve Morley called the museum "a cultural gem" in a news release and said it will be greatly missed.

Until the move, Asher said the museum plans to remain open as usual. On display now is a traveling jewelry exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution, along with the museum's regular displays.

The Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free on Fridays and between $2 and $5 other days, depending on age.