The Raupp Museum, operated by the Buffalo Grove Park
District, will get a state grant to rehabilitate and add to one of its most
popular exhibits.
The Buffalo Grove Park District will receive a grant for
$149,250 toward the Raupp Museum's Buffalo Grove Crossroads Exhibit, formerly
the Town Square Exhibit.
As part of the revamped Buffalo Grove Crossroads Exhibit,
three components will be created, including the Prairie View train station, the
Weidner general store, and the Geimer greenhouse.
"Everyone is so excited to get this grant to renovate the
Town Square Exhibit," said Raupp Museum Curator Debbie Fandrei. "While the
exhibit is a favorite with all of the guests, it has remained almost unchanged
since it was built over 30 years ago.
"The new exhibit will continue to have the store
environments that our visitors love; but, they will now be larger, more
interactive, and contain even more historical detail. They will also be
completely ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible for the first time
ever, which will allow all residents of Buffalo Grove to enjoy full access to
history," she said.
Park district officials don't yet know when construction
will begin; however, they anticipate the project will be completed in the summer
of 2014.
"Since the gallery is also used as the museum's main
educational programming area, this new grant will directly benefit the more than
5,000 students and Scouts who take part in Raupp Museum programs every year,"
Fandrei said.
The project was one of 50 to be awarded a share of $14.9
million in funding assistance from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Only those museums operated by or located upon land owned by a unit of local
government were eligible.


