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Year In Review: Children's Museum of Tacoma relocates

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 28, 2011

By Todd Matthews

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: "The Children's Museum has been looking for a new home for a long time," says Children's Museum of Tacoma Executive Director Tanya Andrews, who has been with the museum for 15 years. The museum is in the process of relocating from Broadway to a larger space on Pacific Avenue, and will re-open in January. "I can't remember a time that we weren't dreaming about a new home"; The new museum will include a cafe serving espresso, snacks, and sandwiches; a wood-themed "playscape" exhibit; an orientation room for visitors to meet staff and each other; One of the new playscape exhibits under construction is "Voyager," a hybrid pirate ship / cargo wagon / rocket with giant wings, a wheel house, gauges, signals and communications gear. (PHOTOS BY TODD MATTHEWS)
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: "The Children's Museum has been looking for a new home for a long time," says Children's Museum of Tacoma Executive Director Tanya Andrews, who has been with the museum for 15 years. The museum is in the process of relocating from Broadway to a larger space on Pacific Avenue, and will re-open in January. "I can't remember a time that we weren't dreaming about a new home"; The new museum will include a cafe serving espresso, snacks, and sandwiches; a wood-themed "playscape" exhibit; an orientation room for visitors to meet staff and each other; One of the new playscape exhibits under construction is "Voyager," a hybrid pirate ship / cargo wagon / rocket with giant wings, a wheel house, gauges, signals and communications gear. (PHOTOS BY TODD MATTHEWS)

The Children’s Museum of Tacoma temporarily closed its doors in December to start another chapter downtown — it moved from Broadway to a brand-new space on Pacific Avenue.

The move followed many years of planning and fund-raising. In March 2010, the museum signed a 10-year lease with United Way of Pierce County to occupy the bottom floor of the non-profit’s headquarters, located at 1501 Pacific Avenue. The museum also launched a $7 million capital campaign — $5 million toward renovation of the new space, including all-new exhibits; $1 million toward the “Play to Learn” community outreach program; and $1 million toward a “Pay As You Will” admission program that aims to eliminate financial barriers and open the museum to everyone, according to executive director Tanya Andrews (pictured).

When the museum re-opens in its new location on Jan. 14, one of the first things visitors will notice is how much more roomier it is: the new space is 8,700 square feet. Other new features include Cafe Play (pictured far right), which will be open to the public, offer a full-service espresso bar managed by locally-owned Satellite Coffee, and feature healthy snacks and sandwiches; members-only two-hour parking (10 stalls during weekdays, with additional stalls on weekends); 40 storage lockers and parking for strollers; and an orientation room for visitors to meet staff and each other.

Those amenities are geared toward grown-ups. Children, on the other hand, will enjoy five brand-new exhibits that will feature a wooded area with a bridge, path, secret nooks, areas to build forts, and pulleys for raising and lowering toys and supplies; a water-themed exhibit that features streams, still-water pools, and a falling water fountain that kids can control by using cranks and levers; and a massive structure known as “Voyager” (pictured under construction near right) that looks like a hybrid pirate ship / cargo wagon / space rocket with giant wings, a wheel house, gauges, signals and communications gear. The museum will also include an art studio and an area for building things.

For more information, visit http://www.childrensmuseumoftacoma.org/ .

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – -All Work, Now Play: After years of hard work and fund-raising, the Children’s Museum of Tacoma is ready to have fun — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=2087780&more=0

Children’s Museum of Tacoma fundraiser ends Friday — http://tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=2074086&more=0

Children’s Museum of Tacoma auction, fundraiser June 18 — http://tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1990709&more=0

Tacoma Children’s Museum seeks artists — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1984904&more=0

Children’s Museum of Tacoma free for military families — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1979772&more=0

Children’s Museum of Tacoma celebrates $5M construction kick-off — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1964257&more=0

RSVP today for Children’s Museum of Tacoma’s construction kick-off April 25 — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1945995&more=0

New Children’s Museum of Tacoma to be admission-free — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1910969&more=0

Tacoma Children’s Museum will re-locate to United Way’s Pac Ave headquarters — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1741331&more=0

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