Museum Closure
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Please review the frequently asked questions below regarding various aspects of the Heritage Center’s closure and relocation. If you don’t find what you are looking for, please contact Allyson Smith, director or Mona Lambrecht, curator of History and Collections.
FAQs
Old Main Restoration Project
In early 2024, Old Main began a comprehensive structural rehabilitation of its masonry façade, windows, stairs and foundation. Find out more about the need for the restoration, and for updates on the restoration process, visit the Old Main project website.
The safety and security of the collections and staff are of utmost importance. Therefore, the museum will close to the public on June 1, 2023, and relocate to a temporary space on East Campus.
Heritage Center Museum
The Heritage Center will relocate to a temporary space in the Rose Litman building on East Campus for a few years. Exhibits will be disassembled and stored and not accessible to the public. While the museum will be closed to the public during this time, staff is available to handle research requests. Appointments for in-person research and donations must be made in advance.
The Heritage Center is slated to reopen in 2026, the university's sesquicentennial year.
No, but appointments may be scheduled for artifact donation and on-site research. Please contact Mona Lambrecht, for more details.
The LEGO model of campus is the center’s most popular exhibit, but it can't be moved. Instead, it will be protected during the restoration to prevent damage.
Museum staff take their professional responsibility to care for the collection seriously, so behind the scenes, the staff and students will work on enhancing documentation and organizing the collection of approximately 40,000 archival items, photographs, three-dimensional artifacts and textiles. A future goal is to make the collections more accessible with an online catalog, so we will also identify key collections and subjects for digitization. It’s likely staff will encounter interesting stories during this time, so articles about objects and people will be shared on the Cabinet of Curiosities page. Staff will also attend to adapting physical exhibits to online experiences and planning new exhibits for the sesquicentennial year.
Artifact Donations
With the museum relocation complete, staff can now address new artifact donations. Please contact our curator, Mona Lambrecht, before sending any items, she’ll be happy to discuss your items as well as clarify the donation process. Appointments for in-person donations must be made in advance.
The main areas of interest for the museum are unique objects that are potentially connected to a specific person, place, event, group or activity. Or they could be items that represent a progression of change in a particular area of campus, academic, or student life. If you have any questions about your possible donation, please contact the curator.
Due to limited space, the museum is no longer accepting yearbooks or mass-produced, souvenir-style items like the cups, mugs, glasses, posters, or buffalo statues.
For yearbooks or other souvenir items we suggest:
- Donating to your local thrift stores or charities. For yearbooks and other books, some local charities sell donated books to help fund the organization.
- Selling items online at auction-style websites like eBay, classified ad websites like Craigslist or through your Facebook Marketplace account.
Research and Photo Reproductions
With the museum relocation complete, staff can now address research requests and assistance. Please contact our curator, Mona Lambrecht, first so she can evaluate how our collections can be best used for your topic of interest. Appointments for in-person research must be made in advance, please contact the curator for scheduling.
Yes, we can once again handle photographic research and reproductions. Please contact the curator to evaluate what photographs are available for your topic of interest.
During our closure we will begin digitizing yearbooks for a future online catalog. However, until that is completed, you will need to schedule an in-person research visit. Please contact the curator to discuss your research interest and appointment options.
Private donations help sustain the important work at the Heritage Center to ensure CU's rich history lives on for future generations. To make a financial gift, please give through the CU Foundation to the Old Main Heritage Center fund. We welcome individual donations as well as gifts in memory or in honor of someone special.
The Heritage Center is grateful for your interest. Unfortunately, we are currently unable to take volunteers.
Mona Lambrecht, Interim Director, Curator of History and Collections
Partners
