Brand New Look for an 81-Year-Old (The Whaling Museum!)

COLD SPRING HARBOR- What a difference a year (and a generous grant opportunity) can make in the life of a museum. Those who travel along Route 25A on a regular basis may have noticed a lot of changes to a local landmark. The Whaling Museum & Education Center has gone through a total transformation, inside and out, with a $159,000 renovation project, sponsored in part by a grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.

"We are thrilled to partner with the Gardiner Foundation, whose support has enabled the museum to make great strides in better connecting the public with Long Island's fascinating and rich maritime heritage. Our staff has observed profound improvement in the way our visitors are now interacting with our spaces and exhibits. This project has also impacted the development of richer education programs, where participants can gain deeper inspiration from the whaling experience."

Beginning with new flooring reminiscent of a ship’s decking, the repainted, airy interior includes a new exhibit (Thar She Blows, an interactive exhibit that takes visitors through life on a whale ship) that helps improve the flow of visitor traffic. A leaky roof has been repaired, improving the climate for sensitive artifacts, and the “Whaler’s Workshop,” home to interactive toys and books for younger guests, saw refreshed flooring and improved lighting. “The workshop is where we have our birthday parties, weekend programs, and camp. The carpeting was definitely not the best in terms of cleaning,” says Education Manager Liz Fusco. “The new checkerboard flooring is a great update!”

“We all love this little museum, and knew with a little help it could really be something great!” Assistant Director Cindy Grimm says the new exhibits and displays have been a labor of love. “The amount of talent in our staff is inspiring. With everyone contributing, we made our dreams of an interactive learning space a wonderful reality.”

Outside, both the museum and the offices next door in The Wright House got a new historical facelift. Preservationist Elizabeth Watson and Town Historian Robert Hughes weighed in on the suggestion of sailcloth white and soft blues to unify the buildings, while maintaining their historic integrity. To maximize the public space outside, uneven brickwork was replaced with a level, stamped concrete plaza area for school groups to gather, with easier accessibility to the museum. The CSH Whaling Fleet memorial rock was also moved off the plaza to the Wright House lawn for better viewing.

With the new exhibit, Breaking Boundaries (a combination of historical artifacts and work from local artists) opening in the fall, along with a brand new PirateFest, the museum continues to evolve. So next time you drive by, stop in and sea for yourself the Big Story in this Small Museum!

The Whaling Museum & Education Center is located at 301 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724.

631-367-3418 www.cshwhalingmuseum.org

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