A major renovation project begins Tuesday at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.
The public is invited to join the State Historical Society at 1:30 p.m. CT/12:30 p.m. MT for the ceremonial groundbreaking.
The state legislature approved funds for the project in 2021.
According to the South Dakota State Historical Society's website, the renovations have three main goals:
- The first is performing maintenance and repair work on the building, which will include improvements to the sod and the structural roof; modernizing the heating & cooling systems and the building's interior lighting; and making needed improvements to the building's entryway and parking so that it is more accessible.
- The second main area is creating more storage capacity within the building to house the state's growing archival, museum, and preservation collections. The aim is to add an additional twenty to thirty years to the building's storage life.
- The last goal will update the permanent exhibits of our museum. With support from our partners in the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation, the museum exhibits will become more interactive for our visitors and more effective in supporting educators and South Dakota students.
The Cultural Heritage Center plans to reopen in 2025. Services provided by the center can still be found at temporary headquarters in Pierre.