By ESTHER K. SMITH
News staff writer
November 9, 2007

The History Museum of Hood River County and the Hood River Chamber of Commerce are partnering to bring a heritage, cultural and tourism center to Hood River.

The fund-raising campaign to finance this proposed heritage and tourism complex began with a special luncheon and presentation last week, where invited guests pledged more than $156,000.

“To be honest, I’ve never personally built a museum, or any structure, for that matter, but I understand what needs to happen first before we start putting up walls,” said Museum Coordinator Connie Nice. “We need to build a foundation.

“So, according to my sources, the first step is to build the footing — this is what keeps the foundation from shifting, tilting or breaking under the intense weight that will be put upon it,” she said. “Our footing for this project was laid by the Pioneer Society and the Hood River County Historical Society when they began to collect important artifacts that would connect the past with the present and the future. They did this long before there was even a thought of where these items would go.”

The actual foundation, she said, is Hood River County, which has been the owner of the museum’s collection since 1954. The “sill plate,” which protects the foundation, is the many partnerships within the community and across the state, including the school district, the Columbia Center for the Arts, Hood River Cultural Trust, the Fruit Foundation Historical Society, the Port of Hood River, Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital and especially the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce.

“So we are ready now — today — to ask you to join us as we build the walls of this project,” she told the guests at last week’s luncheon. “I ask you to consider helping us connect to the future of Hood River County.”

The project is in Phase II of program development and conceptual design. What has so far been decided is that the new building will be a welcoming place, with the look and feel of Hood River’s rich, diverse cultural environment and a place that welcomes discovery and exploration of our unique heritage, inviting emotional connections to the past, present and future of Hood River County.

The complex is also envisioned as a place that offers a comfortable place to delve into the resources and reference materials within the museum’s archive, document and photo collections, and a place that offers a variety of unique spaces available for community events and elegant private functions — including a space that features the Rialto Theater organ.

Current conceptual designs include:

n A 6,000-square-foot visitors space with orientation area, information desk, historic regional model, gift shop, visitors lounge, public facilities, a group meeting area to hold up to 100 people, modified catering and kitchen facilities and a business showcase gallery;

n A 2,500-square-foot area for the Chamber of Commerce, including a reception area, offices, a conference room, work room, storage and a staff kitchen/lounge;

n A 20,000-square-foot museum and archive space, with five galleries of variable sizes, both permanent and traveling; Luhr Jensen Gallery and fishing research center; photo and document archives, Rialto Theater organ exhibit and event space; archive collection storage; curatorial work station and storage; receiving and processing station; museum offices, conference room, storage and a volunteer lounge.

The current conceptual design also includes parking for up to 80 vehicles, off-street tour bus and RV parking, courtyards, outside exhibit areas and landscaping.