Museum Expansion

Windsor's Community Museum Expansion
Project 2014/2015

Telling our stories. Sharing yours.

The Recreation and Culture Department of the City of Windsor is moving forward with improvements to the City's Community Museum. This project includes storage and exhibit space improvements at the Francois Baby House (254 Pitt Street West) and expansion of the museum to occupy the first floor of 401 Riverside Drive West, formerly occupied by the Art Gallery of Windsor (AGW). The AGW does and will continue to occupy the second and third floors of 401 Riverside Drive West.

Project Highlights

Some improvements expected for 401 Riverside Drive West include:

A new, permanent, engaging exhibit on Windsor
Exhibition/programming space with a proposed theme of First Nations/Original Peoples
Efficient auditorium/programming/temporary gallery space
A new Children's Gallery with dynamic exhibits and interactivity created from the former gift shop and art rental and sales space
Development of exhibition/display space in the Concourse
Development of retail space in the southwest area of the Concourse
Development of temporary exhibit/programming space in the former restaurant area
Modification of the entrance way
Improvements to the infrastructure to preserve and protect the collections, including, but not limited to HVAC system improvements; security system updates; IT and telephone system upgrades; and conversion to LED lighting
Creation of additional storage space through restructuring the mezzanine, and repurposing the former gift shop storage room into artefact storage

Some improvements expected for the François Baby House include:

Converting the children's activity area to visible storage space
Development of a permanent gallery on Francophone Heritage
Development of a permanent gallery on the War of 1812, the Battle of Windsor, and the history of the Baby House
Expansion of space in the Francois Baby House to showcase the Museum's archives

Steering Committee

City Councillor R. Bortolin
City Councillor F. Francis
City Councillor J Gignac (Chair)
Arbitrator - Chief Administrative Officer Helga Reidel

Executive Committee

Jelena Payne, Community Development & Health Services Commissioner and Project Sponsor
Jan Wilson, Executive Director of Recreation & Culture
France Isabelle-Tunks, Senior Manager of Development & Geomatics
Shelby Askin-Hager, City Solicitor
Tom Graziano, Manager of Facility Operations
Onorio Colucci, City Treasurer

Working Team

Colleen Middaugh, Project Administrator; Project Manager
Madelyn DellaValle, Curator, Windsor's Community Museum; Project Manager (Exhibitions)
Cathy Masterson, Manager of Cultural Affairs
Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA), Architect
Lord Cultural Resources, Exhibit Consultant
Josie Gualtieri (Liza Webb), Financial Planning Administrator, Finance
Jill Braido, Communications and Customer Service
Matt Caplin, IT
Cheryl Glassford, Legal
Administrative Resource: Leslie Prieur (Working Team and Executive Committee; Karen Kadour (Steering Committee)
Sandra Bradt, Executive Initiatives Coordinator
Mike Smithson, Facilities
Elaine Castellan, Purchasing

Important Documents

Council Reports / Meeting Agendas / Meeting Minutes

Completed Project Steps

Project Management & Design

Finalization and submission of the grant application.
Striking Committee approval for Steering Committee.
Finalization of the Project Charter - approved June 30, 2014 by M284-2014.
Site visit to Waterloo Regional Museum to discuss their museum development project.
Award of contract for Architectural Consulting Services and Exhibition Planning Services (RFP39-14) - Hariri Pontarini Architects and Lord Cultural Resources.
Ongoing Consulting/Design services, including:

Visioning sessions with project team members.
Development and presentation of conceptual design plans and exterior renderings.
Consultation with the Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor Accessibility & Advisory Committee, members of the Aboriginal and Francophone Communities, various stakeholders and the public.
Architectural, mechanical, structural and electrical design development.
Exhibit development, based on the approved Interpretive Plan and Concept Design for the exhibitions.
Ongoing internal project management of design/construction works.

Building Construction

Completed security system upgrades at 401 Riverside Drive West.
Issued a Request for Pre-Qualification of Contractors and reviewed submissions.
Finalized the Tender Drawings and Specifications for the building renovation works.
Issued a Request for Tender (No. 108-14) to the Pre-Qualified Contractors for the building renovation work and awarded the contract to Oscar Construction Company Limited.
Hosted the Construction Kick-off Ceremony (Friday October 17, 2014).
Construction Progress Includes:

Completion of interior demolition.
Completion of mechanical and electrical building system improvements (including HVAC improvements, and new lighting upgrades).
Completion of interior work (finishes, flooring, millwork, framing, etc.).
Completion of exterior work (canopy painting, door painting, etc.).
Completion of new passenger elevator installation.
Removal of interior and exterior hoarding.
Ongoing work on finalizing As-Built Drawings, Maintenance Manuals and addressing remaining outstanding deficiencies.

Exhibit Fabrication

Issued a Request for Pre-Qualification of Exhibition Fabricators and reviewed submissions.
Finalized the Tender Drawings and Specifications for the exhibition fabrication works.
Issued a Request for Tender (No. 3-15) to the Pre-Qualified Contractors for the exhibition fabrication work and awarded the contract to Holman Exhibits.
Site visit to Holman's office/warehouse to review prototypes and fabrication progress.
Ongoing exhibit development, including content and design review.

Next Project Steps

Summer 2015 - Building renovations complete.
Late 2015 - Exhibit fabrication and installation complete.
Winter 2016 - Start of Chimczuk Museum Operations, including exhibits.
Winter 2016 - Grand Opening of Chimczuk Museum.
Note: The Francois Baby House will be closed for exhibit installation beginning Friday September 25, 2015. It will reopen late in 2015.