The British Columbia Maritime Museum has had a tough time navigating the waters of real estate and government grants, but itB次元官网网址檚 not discouraged.
In fact, the organization is setting course for a much larger, much newer location B次元官网网址� and seeking recognition as a national museum.
B次元官网网址淐urrently there are no national museums west of Winnipeg, so we think this would be a wonderful contribution to the Canadian museum fabric and the national fabric of museums by having something here in Victoria,B次元官网网址� said executive director David Leverton.
The B.C. Maritime Museum, currently housed at 634 Humboldt St., was situated in the iconic 1889 courthouse building at 28 Bastion Sq. for 50 years. The historic facility allotted the museum 25,000 square feet of space, which Leverton said was useful, but a bit of a strange configuration.
The building began to reveal its age and the Maritime Museum moved out in 2015 at the suggestion of the province, which owns the structure. Bids are being accepted for a repurposing of the building, but it requires upwards of $12 million worth of renovations and seismic upgrades.
The Maritime Museum downsized to a location at Nootka Court that is less than 3,000 sq. ft.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very challenging in terms of doing meaningful displays,B次元官网网址� Leverton admitted. B次元官网网址淎t the Bastion Square location we could have a lot of different objects out at any given time, because we had a lot more space to work with.B次元官网网址�
The museum has been forced to get creative with its displays and outreach programs to share its collection, but Leverton said theyB次元官网网址檙e still worried about their artifacts in storage.
At Bastion Square it was possible to store undisplayed items on site. Now, much of the collection is kept in a 10,000-sq.-ft. storage locker provided by the province, while some vessels are kept at Ogden Point.
| The previous Maritime Museum in Bastion Square was originally a courthouse. This photo is dated 1895 (FILE CONTRIBUTED). |
B次元官网网址淭he current problem we have there is B次元官网网址� [itB次元官网网址檚] not environmentally controlled at all,B次元官网网址� Leverton said. B次元官网网址淪o itB次元官网网址檚 really subject to temperature variation, humidity variation and weB次元官网网址檇 very much like to, from a collections management perspective, get that into proper storage.B次元官网网址�
Over the years the Maritime Museum has collected over 35,000 artifacts representing nautical history from B.C. and across Canada, as well as over 9,000 books and thousands of photographs and pieces of art. ItB次元官网网址檚 an unparalleled collection that Leverton believes deserves a new and purpose-built space with a national title.
The museum has set a target goal to find a new location of 2021, in time to mark the 150th anniversary of B.C. joining confederation.
| The Maritime Museum when it was situated in Bastion Square, circa the 1990s. (FILE CONTRIBUTED) |
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e taking this year to really identify as many potential locations as possible, and then at the end of the year really sit down and evaluate which one is preferred,B次元官网网址� Leverton said.
They will need to apply for grants through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund and others, he added, but to be eligible they need a defined location.
As such, the museum is working closely with the provincial and federal governments to find the perfect spot. While thereB次元官网网址檚 no site pinpointed yet, Leverton said they desire a central location for display purposes, as well as to have protected off-site storage for artifacts.
He also mentioned the dream goal:
B次元官网网址淲e want to be on the waterfront, if at all possible. WeB次元官网网址檙e a maritime museum [with] a few vessels and weB次元官网网址檇 like to see those actually out on the water and to use them again.B次元官网网址�
