County Museum puts on a facade

VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) - One of the city's most historic buildings has a new look - one that looks a hundred years old.

The plywood barricades and scaffolds in front of the former city police station at 18 Indiana Ave., directly south of the Porter County Courthouse, have been removed to reveal two new building facades.

On the outside, the building fronts have restored a longtime downtown storefront and the city's first fire station.

The adjoining buildings will house the Porter County Museum, which currently resides just a half block to the east in the former Porter County Jail.

Museum director Kevin Pazour said the goal of the museum backers was to "capture the essence of 1916" in the new facades.

The buildings originally were built in the late 1800s.

18 Indiana Ave. was the city's first fire station and City Hall.

The arched doorways re-create the original doorway on the building - doors big enough for the city's first horse-drawn fire apparatus to fit through.

City Hall moved to the former downtown post office in 1988, and the city's Police Department, which moved there in 1916 and remained as the last tenant until the city refurbished the R.W. Pool Building on Washington Street, moved out in 2007.

The building features two light fixtures on each side of the arched doorway. Pazour said they are former city street lights, used until the 1960s, that were found in a storage area. Only two sets are known to remain.

While the building served many functions for the city of Valparaiso, Pazour said it will serve the entire county as a museum with much more space than is available in the museum's current home.

The museum has spent $300,000 on the facade with funding coming from the city of Valparaiso and private donors, Pazour said.

So far, only the facade is complete.

The estimated cost to refurbish both buildings is $2 million. Pazour said the projects will be put out to bid, and won't move forward until the funds are raised. He hopes that can be accomplished by the end of 2017 or early 2018.

Joanne Urschel serves as the chairwoman of the Porter County Museum Foundation's board. She said a capital campaign is underway in a silent phase, where potential donors are approached privately about giving. The campaign will be opened to the public at a later date, she said.

"It's a long process," Urschel said. "Having the facades done has been a real boost for us."

The buildings are still owned by the city of Valparaiso, which has signed a long-term lease with the Porter County Museum Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises money for the museum. The current museum, housed in the old jail, is owned by Porter County, which pays Pazour's salary. The trustees of the foundation oversee the museum.

The extra space will allow the museum to share the history of the county in more meaningful ways. For many years the current museum, with only 3,000 square feet of space, simply displayed artifacts, Pazour said.

The new museum, with nearly 10,000 square feet, will allow for sharing historical narratives along with the artifacts, and to change exhibits more frequently.

"It will give people a reason to come back," he said.

The new space will also better accommodate groups, like local school groups, and allow for them to stay for half-day or full-day field trips, which isn't possible at the current museum, he said.

The building at 16 Indiana Ave., the eastern building, was purchased by the city in 1962 to give it extra office space. Pazour said for about 20 years before the city purchased it, the building housed the Campbell House of Music. Wallpaper exposed during some initial interior work on the east building sports caricatures of musicians and drawings of musical instruments. The business offered lessons and sold instruments, Pazour said.

Other remnants remain in the buildings that were divided into various offices and work spaces.

A "Detective Division" sign remains on a second-floor door, near two small rooms once used as holding cells by the Police Department.

Among the findings during the restoration were two cast iron support columns. The supports, on each side of the east entrance, were restored, painted and are visible to passers-by.

Urschel said the best part of the new space will be the ability to make it handicapped accessible, which will allow everyone a chance to participate in the museum's programs and view exhibits.

Urschel praised the work of Pazour and the staff, saying they have changed the way they present the county's history.

The new building also will have the proper climate control to help preserve the museum's artifacts.

"Plus, it will be beautiful," she said.

___

Source: The (Northwest Indiana) Times, http://bit.ly/2fQOjZ1

___

Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com