The clock is ticking!

There is still a lot to do!

 Ground Floor MR Clock

There is still a lot to do!

Floors are being sanded and stained in the Stettinius Community Galleries and it smells.

Lighting has been added to the Sara D. November Education Center.

The painting of the 1856 Map of Richmond is moving forward in the main gallery.  Nancy Beck and her assistant are doing a great job!

The exhibition casework is being fabricated off-site.

Stone is being cut by Luck Stone for the welcome desk countertop.

Drywall continues to be installed.

Boxes of locally-made products arrive for display and sale in the new Museum Store.

Invitations are being designed and printed for opening week.

Our public opening is on October 25 – only nine weeks away!

Anyone know how to add a few more hours to our Miller & Rhoads clock?

Bill Martin, Director

P.S. Join today and be part of the grand opening week celebrations (Oct 20-24). A donation of $250+ secures your spot at the special Wednesday night party. 

   

/

Feeling Flushed

Who knew that a urinal and fresh white tile could be so exciting!

 bathroom2 bathroom3

Who knew that a urinal and fresh white tile could be so exciting!

It is amazing how often our experience at a museum is centered around the quality of the restrooms.

We find ourselves in these remarkable historic places with their great collections, and the only thing we mention to our friends as we leave is a problem with a restroom.  I must admit that I was guilty of this crime last week after I visited a museum in Charleston, S.C.

In a very small space, our architects have focused on the details:

  • The paper towel dispensers are next to the sinks.
  • Large floor tile without grout will help with the appearance and easy maintenance.
  • Heated floors will ensure comfort. 

For the first time, the museum will have fully accessible facilities.

I hope that we are creating restrooms that are wonderfully forgettable and that our visitors’ only memory of the Valentine will be their experience of Richmond’s stories. 

Bill Martin, Director

P.S. Join today and be part of the grand opening week celebrations (Oct 20-24). A donation of $250+ secures your spot at the special Wednesday night party.

   

/

Ghost Hunting

I was really hoping to find a ghost, so that we can finally give that ghost tour that everyone would like us to give.

All of the contractors and staff were gone for the day, and it was just me and the empty building.

It was actually the first time that I was able to quietly walk through the new spaces without all of the distractions of the renovations.

The only sounds were those of the new air conditioning fans and the occasional creaking of a floorboard.  By the way, the new HVAC system is working very well so it was freezing inside.

Throughout my walk, I could see the subtle evidence of the thousands of people that have passed through the Valentine.

…the outline of a sink on the wall of the old darkroom… 

 
…the strange patterns of concrete, brick, and plaster… 

…the floors with their mosaics of tile, concrete, and wood… 


I could see the decades of changes in the Valentine, and I could feel the energy of those who have worked so diligently over the years to ensure the vitality of this important place in downtown.

I also realized that, as the renovations quickly moved forward, these reminders would soon disappear behind drywall and under carpet.

I was really hoping to find a ghost, so that we can finally give that ghost tour that everyone would like us to give.  Instead, I found the real spirits of this place that will find new life in our new spaces.

Bill Martin, Director

P.S. Join today and be part of the grand opening week celebrations (Oct 20-24). A donation of $250+ secures your spot at the special Wednesday night party.

  

/

Out of the Box

Many Richmonders will remember the expression “meet me under the clock.”

   

After 10 long months, the special protective box that has been securing our signature Miller & Rhoads clock was removed last week.

Many Richmonders will remember the expression “meet me under the clock.”  As the focal point for our renovations, we hope that our visitors will revive this phrase.  From this central location, you will be able to see the “This is Richmond, Virginia” exhibition, the terrace and lobby, the staircase to the ground level, and through the building to the 1812 John Wickham House.

It is amazing what happens when you take all of the sides off of the box!

As you can see by this week’s photos, we have created in our galleries a big new box in which to showcase our history.

It is a perfect space to highlight our collections and for our “This is Richmond, Virginia” exhibition.

While these spaces are exciting, we must not forget that our vision for the Valentine is to do for Richmond’s history what we did this week for the clock.  (I really hate to use this overused term.)

It’s time to think about our history in new ways and to move Richmond and the Valentine outside the box!

Bill Martin, Director

P.S. Join today and be part of the grand opening week celebrations (Oct 20-24). A donation of $250+ secures your spot at the special Wednesday night party.

  

 

/

Grand Transformations

I think the label says it all.

Week 39

I think the label says it all.

Sliding glass panels will provide more flexibility in our new multi-purpose space on the ground floor.

Don’t miss your last chance to see the renovation before the grand transformation is finally revealed in October.

Please join us for our final Hard Hat Happy Hour this Wednesday from 4:30-6:00 p.m. You can contact me for more information or RSVP online and let me know you’ll be coming by.

If you would like to help keep us calm and hammering on, you can support the History Center on our secure donation page at /give.

Bill Martin, Director

/

Missed Connections

What happens when you try to connect a 1970’s addition, a late 19th century row house, and a house moved onto our property in the 1950’s?

What happens when you try to connect a 1970’s addition, a late 19th century row house, and a house moved onto our property in the 1950’s? Well, we discovered this week.

While we had hoped that the connections between these three buildings could be made without any major changes, the reality was that in order for our plans to work we had to jackhammer out an existing concrete ramp to our education center.

Just a few inches and a minor adjustment in the slope made everything work.

Thanks to the efforts of our architects, contractor, and staff, our visitors will be unaware of the odd intersection of these three buildings.

In many ways it speaks to our vision for the Valentine.

How do we take diverse stories and periods of our region’s history that don’t appear to relate to each other and connect them?
Well, it takes work and may require a few challenges to our assumptions about our past. We may even have to modify the angle at which we approach our history.

If we are open to the conversations, we can make the connections!

Are you curious about our progress? Join us for a Hard Hat Happy Hour happening every Wednesday from 4:30-6:00 p.m. You can contact me for more information or RSVP online and let me know you’ll be coming by.

If you would like to help keep us calm and hammering on, you can support the History Center on our secure donation page at /give.

Bill Martin, Director

/

Mud!

After months of installing ductwork and wires, the walls are going up … and quickly!

 

I had always been told that mud had restorative qualities.

Take a bath in it.  Use it as a facial mask.  It always promises to refresh and rejuvenate.

I am not sure what I expected when they said that they were going to mud and drywall the galleries, but what an amazing difference!

After months of installing ductwork and wires, the walls are going up … and quickly!

This work is almost complete in the lobby, gift shop, Stettinius Community Galleries and in the Massey Gallery which will be the home for the upcoming “This is Richmond, Virginia” exhibition.

We can now clearly see what these spaces will look like when we open in October and it will definitely be a fresh face for the Valentine!

If mud can do this for the Valentine, I think I know what I am going to be doing this week.

Are you curious about our progress? Join us for a Hard Hat Happy Hour happening every Wednesday from 4:30-6:00 p.m. You can contact me for more information or RSVP online and let me know you’ll be coming by.

If you would like to help keep us calm and hammering on, you can support the History Center on our secure donation page at /give.

Bill Martin, Director

/

The Root of It All

We may not have alligators in our sewers, but we did find something living there.

 

The root of it all…

We may not have alligators in our sewers, but we did find something living there.
Excavations for a new waste water line revealed a major blockage.
(Only at the Valentine would we remove and document it!)

 

                     The Pipe                                            The bundle of tree roots that were blocking the pipe to the left.

Further digging has sadly not uncovered buried treasure, oil, or China.  Renovation plans include the replacement of these aging sewer lines and the re-landscaping of our main entrance on Clay Street.

The mystery of that odd smell in the old education center may have finally been solved!

Are you curious about our progress? Join us for a Hard Hat Happy Hour happening every Wednesday from 4:30-6:00 p.m. You can contact me for more information or RSVP online and let me know you’ll be coming by.

If you would like to help keep us calm and hammering on, you can support the History Center on our secure donation page at /give.

Bill Martin, Director

/

Chill Out!

You know you have been promising yourself for months that you are going to leave work just a little early and join us for a tour of our renovation.

Only 4 more Hard Hat Happy Hours!

You know you have been promising yourself for months that you are going to leave work just a little early and join us for a tour of our renovation.

Well, it’s July!  It’s hot!  Is anyone really going to notice that you’re gone?    

Our new air conditioning is blasting and each week there is a great group of people that gather to take a peek at our progress.

For the last 36 weeks (including Christmas Day!) you have joined me through these emails and have watched our transformation.

You won’t want miss your last chances to see the mess before the real magic begins.   The renovations are in the homestretch and exhibition installation will soon follow.

In addition to chilled air, we promise cool beverages…and people.  Join us!

Please RSVP online and let me know you’ll be coming by.

 

If you would like to help keep us calm and hammering on, you can support the History Center on our secure donation page at /give.  

Bill Martin, Director

/

Renovation by the Numbers

275 Recessed Can Lights, 200 Track Lights ….

275 Recessed Can Lights

200 Track Lights

106 Smoke Detectors

24 Exit Signs

12 Thermostats

5 Radiators

3 Exhaust Fans

1 Renovated Museum

KCHO 34

Rendering of the front of the History Center along Clay Street

Are you curious about our progress? Join us for a Hard Hat Happy Hour happening every Wednesday from 4:30-6:00 p.m. You can contact me for more information or RSVP online and let me know you’ll be coming by.

If you would like to help keep us calm and hammering on, you can support the History Center on our secure donation page at /give.

Bill Martin, Director

/