Museum Plans

Initial plans for the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum call for a three-level building of approximately 21,000 square feet to be constructed on the corner of South Main Street and Chestnut Street in downtown Blowing Rock, across from Rumple Presbyterian and St. Mary of the Hills churches. Together with these two landmark churches, the museum will help anchor the southern end of Main Street.

The building itself will contain five (5) main galleries; a large multi-purpose community meeting room; a conference room; 2,500 square feet of educational and workshop space; a library; an historic objects gallery; an orientation theater; administrative offices; reception areas; storage space for art and historical objects; a gift shop; and an adjacent outdoor sculpture garden.

The facility will be 100% compatible with the guidelines set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In addition, the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum will be accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM), enabling the museum to feature traveling exhibitions.

Ground-breaking is expected on or before August 2008, with the museum opening approximately 18 to 24 months after the beginning of construction.

The Search for a Space

Since its inception in 1999, a major driving force behind the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM) has been the acquisition, or creation, of a physical space with which to fulfill the mission of the museum. Facilities are needed, foremost, to display and store the museum's growing permanent collection. In addition, the museum requires appropriately equipped space for exhibitions, receptions, workshops, lectures, and meetings, as well as administrative areas for museum staff; work areas for exhibit preparation, and sufficient visitor parking.

A potential solution was presented in 2001 when the Town of Blowing Rock announced plans to relocate the fire station away from Main Street. BRAHM sought and gained the right of first refusal to the building with plans to convert it to a museum. While interviewing architects for a feasibility study of converting the fire station into a museum, the Town of Blowing Rock purchased the land to the south of Rumple Memorial Church which stretched from Main Street to Wallingford Street, known as the Edgewood Cottage Property (named after the first home of Elliott Daingerfield in Blowing Rock which occupies that land). In August 2003, after several months of discussions and presentations to town officials, BRAHM was granted a long-term lease on the property. While the Blowing Rock Historical Society (BRHS) tackled plans to rescue Edgewood Cottage itself, BRAHM members met with architects to begin its own plans for a new museum.

Fitting In

BRAHM trustees wanted a building that would fit in with the business and residential feel of south Main Street. Early on it was determined that the building needed to be constructed of mountain materials such as stone and wood and of colors that blend with the green space on which the museum will stand.

Boone Construction Company (Steve Silver, president and Ron Funk, superintendent) and Steven Carter Price will serve BRAHM as the Design-Build Team for the new museum. Both bring extensive experience to the project, having worked in tandem during the renovation of Westglow Resort and Spa and in the restoration of Edgewood Cottage.

To guarantee the desired mountain architectural heritage, Board members went to work. "We looked at shapes of windows, stonework, size of entrys, coverings for porches, etc.," said Ginny Stevens, BRAHM board member. "We spent hours searching out particularly attractive building features on homes in the village. And we even took a field trip to Diamond Creek Golf Club to see the exceptional details on their clubhouse, which we believe is one of the best architectural jobs on a commercial building in the area."

Interior Specifications & Usability

In addition to identifying exterior aesthetics, BRAHM board members have spent time identifying the museum's needs and functional specifications. "The elements of the 'space program' are critical," said Welborn Alexander, president of BRAHM. "I have been extremely impressed with the detailed discussions the trustees have held. Clearly, each of them has thought long and hard - as well as done a good amount of research - about the elements of the physical space and their idea of what the museum will be."

Some items raised during these discussions include the need for a meeting room, enough space to store art, size and locations of galleries, pitch of the roof, and actual position of the museum on the site.

"The give-and-take during our discussions has been really rewarding," said Cullie Tarleton, former BRAHM board member. We are very focused on delivering a unique, high quality building that will reflect BRAHM's mission and be an important addition to the Village of Blowing Rock, both aesthetically and from a programming standpoint."

BRAHM board members also took field trips to other museums of similar size and purpose to examine how these museums functioned and to identify critical factors for success. Museums that had recently been built or renovated were emphasized.

"For example, we visited Appalachian's Turchin Center with Director Hank Foreman," Stevens said. "Hank graciously shared with us the public spaces, as well as what was behind the walls - HVAC works and the inner sanctum of heating, electrical and plumbing works."

About ten board members went to the Louise Wells Cameron Museum in Wilmington, NC, which opened several years ago and is of comparable size to BRAHM's intended museum. Others who have visited the Morris Museum in Augusta, GA, shared the special features of that museum that would be applicable to BRAHM's art and history focus. A BRAHM trip to Baltimore in 2004 included a tour of the Western Virginia Museum in Roanoke, another source of inspiration.

"That visit yielded some new ideas for many of us about providing children's spaces and work stations," Stevens said. "All of these visits, ideas, and needs will play into our design of the museum," she explained.