History museum in Tacoma would close under budget plan

TACOMA — The Washington State History Museum was among the first projects that helped spark redevelopment of a downtown Tacoma neighborhood once known for empty warehouses and vacant storefronts.

Since the museum opened on Pacific Avenue in 1996, the area has become home to a University of Washington branch campus, the Tacoma Art Museum and the Museum of Glass. Next door, a new federal courthouse has been carved from the old Union Station.

Now, the museum is threatened with closure because of a massive state budget shortfall.

Gov. Chris Gregoire has proposed to cut funding for the agency that runs the museum by about half over the next two years, leaving enough to maintain the building and preserve the exhibits but not enough to keep the doors open to the public.

About 70 percent of the museum's budget depends on state money; the rest comes from admission fees, donations and other sources.

Spokane's Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture and Olympia's smaller State Capital Museum also would be mothballed under Gregoire's proposed cuts.

All told, the plan would save the state about $5 million over the next two years.

"This cut, like many others, was a difficult choice that needed to be made facing the economic times that we're currently in," said Karina Shagren, spokeswoman for the Governor's Office. "But faced with the choice of choosing health care for young children or our most vulnerable, or providing funding for our museums, the governor had to make decisions that will protect our most vulnerable first."

A coalition of public and private Tacoma groups — loosely called the History Museum Action Team — is working to fight the possible closure.

They're organizing supporters and have helped raise money for the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber to hire a lobbyist to make the museum's case in Olympia.

"Problem of inertia"

Run by the Washington State Historical Society, the museum's five-story, 106,000-square-foot brick building is modeled after the Tacoma Union Station next door.

Construction of the museum was approved by the Legislature nearly 25 years ago, as officials looked for ways to revitalize a neighborhood largely abandoned. The state contributed $33 million of the $41 million spent on the project.

The museum contains exhibits and artifacts ranging from spear tips dating to the last ice age to radio broadcasts from the World War II era. In the main gallery sits a soaring electrical-transmission tower.

About 105,000 people visit annually. The museum has already reduced its hours because of previous budget cuts and is now open five days a week most of the year and six days during summer.

Although it could maintain its collections under Gregoire's proposal, reopening the doors after a long closure could be difficult, said David Nicandri, director of the state historical society.

"There's the problem of inertia," Nicandri said. "It's not just like turning the switch of a light."

Of the museum's 20 or so employees, only a limited staff would be left to preserve the collections and protect the facilities under the governor's proposal. Gone would be the curators, educators and others who run the exhibits and outreach efforts. If those people take other jobs, the museum would have to start over to reopen, Nicandri said.

Additionally, the museum's operations generate donor support, Nicandri said. With the doors closed, fundraising could suffer.

Economic effect

The history museum is one of the first buildings visitors see upon entering downtown Tacoma from Interstate 705.

The Museum of Glass and the Tacoma Art Museum are within walking distance, and the LeMay Museum, a car exhibit that's under construction, is less than a mile away.

Bruce Kendall, president and CEO of the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County, said closing the history museum would "damage the cluster" of museums.

"You don't wreck it, but you don't have as many draws as you otherwise might," he said. The museum also helps other businesses decide to open in the area because of the ambience it creates, Kendall said.

Julie Bennett, who owns a clothing store across the street, said she's not sure if many of her customers are drawn to the area by the museum, but a closure certainly wouldn't help.

"I'm not sure what impact it would have, but in general it just seems like it would be unhealthy to have a really big, major building downtown to sit empty," she said.

Education and research

During May and June — the peak time for school groups to visit — the museum typically sees about 400 kids a day. Almost half of the museum's top floor is dedicated to an interactive exhibit called the History Lab Learning Center, where students try to solve a puzzle about Washington history by getting clues from hands-on activities.

Gwen Perkins, an education specialist for the museum, said there's no substitute for the kind of teaching it provides.

The students "come here and suddenly history is real," she said. "They come here and they can actually see that there's meaning to what they've been studying."

The historical society also runs a research center that collects items that represent the current era, among other efforts. For example, the center has collected material from the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle.

Nicandri said the collections process would be reduced if not halted altogether by the proposed budget cuts, depending on the staff that's left.

"The 2010s become kind of a vacant period in state history," he said. "That's what's at stake with the determination that you can no longer afford to do these things."

Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, and Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, chairmen of their chambers' budget-setting committees, both said they would like to keep the museum open. But neither knows yet what their budget proposals for the historical societies will look like.

The historical society proposes adding $1.5 million more to the governor's recommended $2.5 million for the organization's two-year budget.

Museum officials said that would amount to a 20 percent funding cut but would keep the museum open. The proposal is backed by Pierce County legislators in the House and Senate.

Sen. Steve Conway, D-South Tacoma, who sits on the Senate's budget committee, said he'll argue in favor of museum funding.

"To me, the heritage and legacy of our state is critical," he said. "And access to it through our history museums is a critical priority."

Joanna Nolasco: 360-236-8266 or jnolasco@seattletimes.com