Hennepin History Museum

The Hennepin History Museum is moving to a new site. In a vision statement for this new phase of the organization, the musuem expressed a desire to "tell a more diverse range of stories and create new rituals." This necessitates community buy in and participation. To this end, I proposed that the new museum prominently feature preservation studios that can be used by staff and guests alike. Everyone becomes involved in the act of preserving and presenting history.

The building is formed around a central storage volume built out of the existing building on site. The studios, along with the library and history lab, become points where visitors can access and submit material to the collections. Functions unrelated to storage, preservation, and exhibition - including the gift shop, cafe, and event space - are pushed off to a separate volume. The lobby flows between these two volumes like an urban street, welcoming people into the building as though it is a part of the urban fabric. The resulting form playfully recalls a collection of buildings akin to those on the nearby Mainstreet, making an aesthetic connection to other places already a part of locals' everyday lives.