The expanded Museum of Surrey has opened its doors to families from all over the Lower Mainland.
The official opening of the new facility took place in the fall of 2018.
Museum manager Lynn Adam Saffery said the theme of the opening was “this is the community’s museum.”
“It is a ‘people museum’ that tells the stories of Surrey’s diverse cultures and neighbourhoods,” said Saffery. “In addition, it instils pride in the amazing work Surrey is doing to live responsibly and care for our world through sustainable practices in the environment, communities and industry.”
Because Surrey is a young city inhabited by many families, “both the opening and our mandate is to make this museum family-friendly and accessible to all,” said Saffery.
The museum’s new tagline, Connecting People and Stories, was inspired by the city’s diverse population and the museum’s array of rich collections and programs.
The new facility is attached to the original museum, which was built in 2005. It was conceived of as Phase 2 of the original facility.
We wanted visitors to experience the museum in the entire building, not just the inside of it
— Lynn Adam Saffery
Museum of Surrey
“The new museum is 12,000 square feet, half the size of the original,” said Saffery. “But, thanks to such design features as large windows, the new museum actually looks bigger than the old one.”
The Museum of Surrey had a vision for the expansion that it gave to the Vancouver architects who designed it.
“We were very clear (with the architects) that this will not be your typical museum,” said Saffery. “We needed exhibit spaces that were museum-standard, but we also wanted a design that enabled visitors to move freely inside and out.
“We wanted visitors to experience the museum in the entire building, not just the inside of it.”
Saffery said the museum’s vision was realized with a design that includes large spaces with windows that connect people to the outdoors as well as versatile, multipurpose rooms that can change according to need and demand. HCMA Architecture and Design were the architects on the project.
The architects found the museum’s colourful textile collection to be an effective metaphor for Surrey’s culturally rich community.
They chose four key tones for the museum’s colour palette, blue, pink, red and yellow.
“The original building has been repainted and connected to the new museum through signage, colour and interactive programming,” said Saffery.
In addition to new gallery spaces, community gathering spaces and expanded collections storage, the expansion includes the integration of two heritage buildings on the site, as well as “site landscaping to conform to our vision of being the best people museum in Canada.”
The Museum of Surrey is located in Cloverdale, one of Surrey’s town centres.
It is on a campus that contains Veterans Square, the Surrey Archives in the 1912 City Hall, Cloverdale Library and three other heritage buildings: Anderson Cabin (Surrey’s oldest standing building — a log cabin built in 1872); Surrey’s first town hall (built in 1881); and a one-room schoolhouse built in 1891 (Anniedale School).
“The museum’s exterior adds a modern touch to the space and helps surround Veterans Square, making the space inviting,” said Saffery. “Brickwork on the museum expansion complements the brick exteriors of the original museum as well as the 1912 city hall. The museum adds to the heritage buildings, but it also stands on its own.”
Saffery said the museum and campus complement the area and adds a space that is turning Cloverdale into a heritage and cultural destination.
Cloverdale is one of six Surrey town centres, the others being South Surrey, Newton, Guilford, Whalley/City Centre and Fleetwood.
“Cloverdale is the historic centre of Surrey and feels like the centre of the city,” said Saffery. “It still has a small village feel to it.”
The museum expanded in response to growth.
Between 2007 and 2017, Surrey’s population grew by almost 100,000, to more than 550,000.
Surrey is expected to keep on growing at a fast clip. Its population is projected to increase by more than 250,000 in the next 30 years.
Based on those estimates, by the year 2046 almost one in four residents of Metro Vancouver will live in Surrey.
Not for nothing is the city’s motto The Future Lives Here.
Architecture Spotlight: Winnipeg heritage pump house redevelopment wins national award
Architecture Spotlight: 2019 Prairie wood design winners ‘absolutely excellent’
Architecture Spotlight: Exterior of RRC’s new trades centre inspired by a birch forest
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed