Rogers-Lowell Area News

Rogers Historical Museum Grand Reopening Set for December 13

The Rogers Historical Museum’s expansion efforts to provide more exhibitions, larger educational space, room for special events, community gathering space, and state-of-the-art storage space is complete. The new Museum campus is set to open December 13 with a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. 

The first construction project, the Eversole Collections Building, was completed in 2017. This enlarged building allows the 50,000+ object collection to be housed together for the first time in many years with museum standard temperature and humidity control, a classroom space, new offices, and adequate space for the next 25 years.

The renovations of the Key Wing are also finished. A newly enlarged classroom space in what was the Museum’s galleries has the potential to hold several classes of school children at one time. With an expanded reading area, as well as the continued use of the “Grandma’s Attic” and “First Street” exhibits, the educational experience has been enhanced. The Hawkins House remains untouched and a vital part of the Museum experience. Guided tours will still be given to those who visit, as well as school tours. The research library has also been enlarged with adequate space for several people to do research at one time. 
 
The longest construction project, the adaptive reuse and renovations of the historic Newt Hailey Ford dealership building, is complete. DeLeon and Primmer Architecture Workshop, Hight Jackson Associates, and Nabholz Construction worked together, thanks to a grant from the Walton Family Design Excellence Program, to blend the historic half of the building with the new, revitalizing a unique architectural piece in downtown Rogers. The Museum was selected as one of three pilot projects for the Walton Family Design Excellence Program which has the intent of elevating design in the region through bringing grantees in touch with world-class architects who will creatively motivate the design quality of projects.

The interior of the building includes five new gallery spaces telling the story of Northwest Arkansas from the landscape in which it sits to those who first settled the area and the changes brought by Beaver Dam to what it looks like today. The Museum has a newly enlarged children’s gallery blending learning and fun for their youngest visitors. The collections gallery allows the Museum to provide space for changing exhibits and access to the collection for research and study. The Museum also provides a large community gathering space for lectures, programs, and meetings.

With help from the Walton Family Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation Design Excellence Program, the City of Rogers, the Tyson Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities Grant, Institute of Museum and Library Services Grant, Arkansas General Improvement Fund grants from Representative Carnine and Senator Bledsoe, and numerous donors from across the country, the entire construction project for the newly enlarged Museum campus was completed on time and on budget. This enlarged campus will allow the Museum to achieve the goal of doing more for all of the people of Northwest Arkansas. 

The Museum invites you to join in celebrating the end of the construction project and reopening to the public with a tour of the new gallery spaces in the Hailey Building and the new education space at the Key Wing. You will also be able to take a guided tour of the Hawkins House. Beginning the 13th, the Museum will be open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours of the Hawkins House will begin at the Hailey Building and will take place on the hour with the last tour beginning at 4 p.m.