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Historic commission highlights museum move, RACC kiosk and McKinney Building research
Summary
The Lacey Historic Commission presented 2024 accomplishments and a 2025 work plan focused on opening a relocated museum space, installing interpretive panels at the Regional Athletic Complex (RAC) and advancing research and preservation steps for the McKinney Building and other historic properties.
Chair Jim Keogh and Erin Quinn Balcho, the city’s museum curator, presented the Historical Commission’s 2024 accomplishments and a 2025 work plan and asked the council to place the commission’s materials on a consent agenda for approval.
Keogh said the commission completed a joint interpretive kiosk at the Regional Athletic Complex (RAC); panels were installed the week before the meeting and a dedication program is planned for Saturday, March 8. He described several interpretive panels that cover local history topics, including the Evergreen Ballroom, Nisqually Delta, JBLM and St. Martin’s University, and awarded the commission’s historian of the year award to Paul Webb for a history of the Lacey Fire Department.
Curator Erin Quinn Balcho said the museum is relocating to a leased space on Sixth Avenue; mobile museum walls had arrived and staff expects to open an initial exhibit called “Bits and Bobs” in the new space in March if move delays do not push the timeline. The aviation exhibit will follow later in the year once move-related work is complete. She also said the commission completed the first phase of a “Stories of South Sound Bridal History Project” funded by a $15,000 grant, and received $40,000 in lodging-tax funds for operating support and an unexpected private bequest of $11,000.
Keogh and Quinn Balcho said staff hired a historic preservation consultant to prepare a nomination for the Jacob Smith Historic Smith House and to research the McKinney Building’s eligibility for local register designation; a wetland delineation for the McKinney site also was completed to inform next steps.
Why it matters: the museum relocation will make the collection and exhibits more visible and accessible, and McKinney Building research could inform preservation or redevelopment decisions for a locally significant property. Commissioners asked council to place the commission’s 2024 accomplishments and 2025 work plan on the consent agenda for approval.
Next steps: the commission and museum staff will continue move preparations, finalize exhibit opening plans, issue invitations for the RAC kiosk dedication and return to council with any items needing formal approval.
Ending: Council members and commission members noted opportunities to use the new space to increase visibility for local history and to support future fundraising and public programming.
