Museum officials at the Johnstown Flood Museum are fundraising to make renovations on the elevator and the HVAC system, as well as improve the exhibits.
“Essentially what we’re trying to do is completely renovate and refurbish the Johnstown Flood Museum,” said Shelley Johansson, Director of Communications for the Johnstown Area Heritage Association. “The last time that was done was in 1989, and there’s been more than a million people through our doors since then. And it’s time to make some upgrades.”
Since the museum opened, Johansson said they’ve learned more about the historic flood from new artifacts and photos. She said the renovated exhibits will use new technologies to provide visitors with an interactive learning experience. They also plan to include information about the 1936 and the 1977 floods.
“There’s a lot more research, a lot more artifacts we can show. And today’s digital technology will allow us to do that in a really compelling way,” said Johansson. “The new exhibits will allow us to add more things and to change the museum in the future if we want to with new information, new artifacts in a way that the current museum design really does not.”
Museum officials have reached about 65 percent of their $2.5 million fundraising goal, or $1.65 million.
Fifty-thousand dollars is from public funds, while the rest has been donated by non-profit organizations, local businesses and individuals. While there’s no specific timeline for the renovations, Johansson said she’s confident they’ll reach that point eventually.
“Projects of this nature, like their nature, take a long time. Now we’re at the point where we want to get the fundraising done and get out there and make it happen. The Johnstown Flood Museum is where people go to learn about the resilience of this community, to learn about an American story that is so meaningful to all of us who live here and to all of us who visit here,” Johansson said.
