City of Colorado Springs opens Pioneers Museum annex inside Plaza of the Rockies

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- The City of Colorado Springs has opened a Pioneers Museum annex in order to keep the public informed during the reconstruction of the original museum. The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum is currently in the first stage of its remodeling phase. The building is getting a new HVAC system installed and removing the old one.

The original HVAC system was installed in the 1970s and is in serious need of repairs.

"HVAC is incredibly important to the museum's operation. It is one of the main lines of defense that we have to preserve our collections. Keeping it a consistent temperature and humidity is very important to us and it also makes our visitors comfortable," said Matt Mayberry, Director of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum.

The renovations should take around eight months. Mayberry hopes people will be able to get into the original building by spring of next year. Until then, folks can use the annex museum located inside the Plaza of the Rockies building in suite 100.

"We take our mission seriously to engage the public and help them think about and understand our history. So this was an additional project at an additional expense. We got it covered by grant funding and it just shows our dedication to the public and welcoming them to our exhibit," said Mayberry.

Mayberry said with the start of the new school year, teachers and kids will still be able to attend the new mini museum as part of their school field trips and academic adventures.

"We are working with teachers to make sure they have access to this space, but we are also making our tours available in the classrooms," Mayberry said.

The Pioneers Museum annex is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.