Visit Tucson, Arizona Mineral Museum Get New Homes

TUCSON, AZ – It's going to be moving day for the University of Arizona Mineral Museum and Visit Tucson. On Tuesday, the Pima County Board of Supervisors approved leases for the two organizations to move into the Old County Courthouse.

The leases are part of the $11 million restoration of the building, which will turn it from a courthouse into a tourism destination.

The building will also be home to the January 8th Memorial.

For the museum, it's a major upgrade.

Currently located in the basement of the Flandrau Planetarium on the University of Arizona campus, the museum currently occupies 4,000 square feet, which means that they can only show a small portion of their holdings.

In the courthouse, the museum – which is 126-years-old – will occupy 20,000 square feet allowing them to change from a mineral museum to a gem and mineral museum.

For Visit Tucson, the new home will give them new offices and upgraded facilities.

Both leases run for 15-years.

Photo via City of Tucson.