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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 23, 2009
CONTACT: Ronette Rumpca, (605) 773-6011, Ronette.Rumpca@state.sd.us
Cultural Heritage Center celebrating 20th anniversary
PIERRE, S.D. -- The South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center will host an open house to celebrate its 20th anniversary on Sunday, March 1, from 1-4 p.m.
There will be free admission to the museum galleries. In the education room, photos of the building under construction, moving day, and former and current staff members of the South Dakota State Historical Society will be shown. Refreshments will be served in the lobby.
At 2 p.m. there will be an informal panel discussion with four current State Historical Society staff members – Jay D. Vogt, Nancy Koupal, Jeanne Ode and Marvene Riis – sharing their memories of working in the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Building and the move to the Cultural Heritage Center in 1989.
Groundbreaking for the center took place in May 1987. It was officially dedicated as part of South Dakota’s centennial celebration on Nov. 3, 1989. The center houses the offices and programs of the State Historical Society. These include the society’s administrative and fund raising offices, historic preservation, research and publishing, and archives. The state museum, with 15,000 square feet of exhibit galleries, is also part of the CHC.
“Moving into the Cultural Heritage Center from the Memorial Building was a huge job,” said Vogt, State Historical Society director. “It was certainly a step up – the old building had no climate control and the collections had outgrown the space. We went from a building that could heat up to 90 degrees in the summer to one that holds a constant 68 degrees year-round. It’s much better for the museum and archives collections, and for the staff, too.”
Located on the hilly terrain northeast of the state Capitol above Hilger’s Gulch at 900 Governors Drive, the CHC is built almost completely underground. The building received national recognition for its innovative energy-efficient design and construction. A 1989 U.S. Department of Energy report showcased the CHC as one of the six most innovative energy-saving projects in the country.
Museum hours are 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-4:30 on Sundays and most holidays. Archives hours are 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and the first Saturday of each month.
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The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Tourism and State Development and strives to help the state meet the goals of the 2010 Initiative by enhancing history as a tool for economic development and cultural tourism. The society is headquartered at the South DakotaCulturalHeritageCenter in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit www.sdhistory.org for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.