Montgomery Museum earns preservation award
The Montgomery Museum of Art & History was selected as a recipient of a Community Preservation Award from the non-profit Preservation Virginia.
The museum was selected for its successful efforts to revitalize a former, empty bank building in downtown Christiansburg. The building transformation is an example of adaptive reuse to promote economic vitality while providing an educational community gathering space for Montgomery County and the New River Valley, according to a museum news release.
Since moving its operations to downtown Christiansburg in mid-2022, the museum has reimagined the 15,000-square-foot building with a guiding vision to be a premiere, regional cultural center that offers creative, inspirational, and enriching programming for the the community, according to the release.
A contributing structure to the downtown historic district, the museum now operates as a large community gathering space and includes administrative offices, business incubator space, galleries and an exhibit hall, a research library and archives, an education and digitization lab, and conference facilities for meetings and receptions.
According to Preservation Virginia, studies show that communities and quality of life are enhanced when individuals, organizations and local governments adapt, restore and highlight historic places and stories unique to Virginia. To highlight this work, each year since 1971, Preservation Virginia recognizes exemplary historic preservation projects and historical research in the Commonwealth.
Montgomery Museum staff will travel to Richmond, Virginia on Sept. 27 to accept the award and celebrate this achievement. For more information on Preservation Virginia and other awardees, visit preservationvirginia.org .
- The Roanoke Times
Todd Jackson (540) 381-1678
