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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 30, 2009
CONTACT: Jeff Mammenga, Media Coordinator, (605) 773-6000, Jeff.Mammenga@state.sd.us
Volunteer Miniature Historic Building Creators Sought
PIERRE, S.D. – Miniature replicas of local historic buildings have dazzled visitors to the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in the past three years between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.
Now, the Pierre Historic Preservation Commission and the South Dakota Heritage Fund, co-sponsors of the miniature buildings, are looking for talented locals willing to create new buildings.
“We know that lots of time and effort go into creating these miniatures,” said Patricia Miller, president of the Heritage Fund, which is the nonprofit financial partner of the South Dakota State Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center. “We appreciate the people who have produced them in the past and are hoping new volunteers will take on the project this year.”
The Pierre Historic Preservation Commission is open to any building that someone may be inspired to create, said Mary Gates, commission chair. Some of the commission’s suggestions, in Pierre unless otherwise indicated, include:
* First Congregational United Church of Christ
* Congregational United Church of Christ in Fort Pierre
* Homewood Inn/Gardella House Bed & Breakfast
* Hitching Horse Inn Bed & Breakfast
* Prairie Pages Building
* Song's Gift Nook
* Stockgrowers Bank in Fort Pierre
* Grand Opera House
* Hyde Block or other buildings in Upper Pierre Street District
* Nearly any house in the Pierre Hill Historic District
* Old Fort Pierre Jail
People interested in creating their own miniature historic buildings should contact Gates at 222-9160 or midwesterncompany@gmail.com
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The South Dakota Heritage Fund is a private charitable nonprofit that seeks funding to assist the South DakotaState Historical Society in programming and projects to preserve South Dakota’s history and heritage for future generations.
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.