A conceptual rendering of the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Waynesboro. (Rendering courtesy of the Virginia Museum of Natural History website)
The Virginia Museum of Natural History (VMNH) in Martinsville, Va., announced that a second campus will be constructed in Waynesboro, Va., beginning in 2024, the Staunton News Leader reported Aug. 29.
A news release from the museum noted that the Waynesboro campus currently is in its design phase, with updated drawings planned for release late this year, followed by design completion in 2023, and a tentative groundbreaking the following year.
During this stage of the project, preliminary conceptual drawings will be updated with detailed designs that will address every aspect of the construction project, including the final appearance of the facility, VMNH said.
The institution has partnered with Glavé & Holmes Architecture, based in Richmond, to create the look of the new facility and follow the construction project through to completion.
The museum will be located at the corner of West Main and Arch streets near the South River in Waynesboro, about 150 mi. north of Martinsville and 95 mi. northwest of Richmond in the Shenandoah Valley.
"This is an exciting development that signifies a new chapter in the VMNH-Waynesboro campus project," said Joe Keiper, executive director of VMNH, in the release. "Glavé & Holmes Architecture has an outstanding track record of delivering incredible results for numerous cultural, educational and civic institutions throughout the Commonwealth. We have the utmost confidence that, together, we will deliver a museum facility that will be an asset and place of pride for the entire region."
The Waynesboro facility is planned to be approximately 28,000 sq. ft. in size — 20,000 of which will be dedicated to exhibit galleries and children's learning and play areas, according to the Martinsville-based museum. It also will include multiple classrooms, a science laboratory and access to the nearby South River, which flows through the city.
Officials have worked closely with regional educators, colleges and universities, conservation organizations and other community stakeholders to make sure the new museum branch offers a benefit to the entire region. That level of collaboration will remain a priority during the design phase, according to the release.
"In the coming days, museum officials and regional stakeholders will meet with our newly formed team of architects, exhibit designers, landscape specialists and others to ensure that our lofty vision for the new VMNH-Waynesboro campus is fully realized," Keiper noted.
"We're excited to begin this process and look forward to continuing our engagements with the community in the weeks and months ahead."
Museum Funding to Come From Multiple Sources
The News Leader reported that in 2022, the downtown Waynesboro campus of VMNH had been included in Virginia's state budget, which allowed the museum to move forward with detailed design work for the new facility.
A few years ago, the projected total cost to construct and equip the museum in the central Virginia city was estimated at $22 million with portions of that money coming from a financial incentive package from city and private fundraising as well as capital funding from the Commonwealth.
In 2018, Waynesboro City Council approved a $1 million incentive, which includes direct financial contributions, in-kind support and real property. In addition, it is contingent on financial support from the state of not less than $7 million for the construction of a new building in the city.
The Staunton newspaper noted that a feasibility study found the museum would serve the entirety of Virginia, with a core service area of 11 cities and counties in the Shenandoah Valley, stretching from Rockbridge County north to Rockingham County and east to Albemarle County.
Between 45,000 and 85,000 visitors also would be expected to visit the facility each year, according to a city council memo. The total annual economic impact was estimated to be $2 million.
Spaces Dedicated to Student Learning, Adult Research
Specific features of the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Waynesboro would include:
- Exhibits interpreting the local environment and natural history using some of the 10 million artifacts currently housed in Martinsville.
- Environmental classrooms supporting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and providing an opportunity for some 63,000 K-12 students in the region to explore and learn.
- An interactive playscape area for early childhood learning.
- Publicly viewable laboratories where curators and university partners will have an opportunity to work and learn.
- A resource for partners in public programs and scientific research that will include the Wildlife Center of Virginia, James Madison University, and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
As the state's museum of natural history, VMHS is dedicated to interpreting the natural and cultural heritage of the Commonwealth in a way that is relevant to all citizens.
The idea for establishing an interpretive center focused on natural resources can be traced back to the first Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, started by the Waynesboro Downtown Development Inc. in 2000, the News Leader reported.
It is a direct outgrowth of that civic organization's vision, and significant contributions from the Shenandoah Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited and Dominion Energy, to build the education pavilion in
Waynesboro's Constitution Park, as well as the efforts of the Center for Coldwaters Restoration, a volunteer citizen group formed in 2010.
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