The Center for History and Art will house the only climate-controlled, high-security, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts affiliated galleries between Roanoke and Manassas. These state-of-the-art facilities will enable the Staunton-Augusta Art Center to host world-class traveling museum exhibits of art and history.

Climate-controlled archival facilities will provide appropriate storage for the Augusta County Historical Society's rich collection of local history manuscripts and photographs as well as Historic Staunton Foundation's collection of 19th & 20th century architectural drawings by T.J. Collins and Son, one of the premier collections of its kind in the country. A conservation lab for specialized treatment of these collections will ensure their survival into the centuries to come.

On-site research facilities will allow visitors to make use of the materials that are currently inaccessible to the public. The Local and Family History Library is a strong collection of photographs, ledgers, journals, letters, and family history materials that will be used by both local researchers and visitors. The Preservation Resource Center will be devoted to education, advocacy, and technical support for architectural preservation. It will ensure easy access to information and contacts for projects designed to reuse our architectural resources.

Shared classroom space for teaching children and adults drawing, painting, photography, pottery, and other media will expand the range of educational services the Art Center can provide. These classrooms will enable Historic Staunton and the Historical Society to offer classes on preservation and genealogy. Offices for each of the three organizations, shared conference rooms, catering kitchen, lecture hall/exhibit gallery, and gift shop complete the Center for History and Art. These facilities, approximately 25,000 square feet of combined space, will allow all three organizations to serve our community better.

Old Shenandoah Hotel which is being converted to the new Center for History and Art

Two members of the historical society recording gravestone inscriptions at Trinity Church in Staunton

HISTORY AND ART ARE GOOD BUSINESS

The economic impact of this project cannot be overestimated. Visitors will travel to the Center for History and Art from near and far for exhibits and programs and to use the research facilities. In 1997, a record 225 million people visited our nation's museums.* This means that museums have actually eclipsed theme parks in popularity. Cultural tourism has become the fastest-growing market opportunity for tourism bureaus in the U.S.; non-profit arts organizations alone generate $36 billion in expenditures annually. Research indicates that cultural tourists stay longer and spend more than other tourists.

In America today, genealogy is the third-largest hobby. The Historical Society's library will draw thousands of visitors seeking their roots. Economic studies have proven consistently that historic preservation visitors** stay longer, visit twice as many places and spend, on average, 2.5 times more money than do other visitors. Furthermore, nearly 75 percent of first-time visitors and over a third of all visitors to Virginia are heritage tourism visitors. These visitors represent a significant portion of the over $9 billion spent by travelers to Virginia annually. Highly successful similar efforts in Roanoke (Center in the Square) and Manassas (The Manassas History Museum) have drawn large numbers of visitors who have had a substantial impact on the local economies and downtown renewal efforts.

*American Association of Museums Statistics

**Preservation Alliance of Virginia 1996 statistics

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT ANY ONE OF THE THREE ALLIANCE ORGANIZATIONS, WE HAVE ANSWERS.