Idaho State Museum
The Idaho State Museum is a fun, interactive experience where people of all ages and backgrounds come to explore the story of Idaho. The museum looks at how Idaho’s unique landscapes have shaped and continue to shape the experience of all Idahoans. It explores how the profound relationship between Idaho’s people and its land have always defined what it means to live in Idaho.
Client
Idaho State Historical Society & The State of Idaho
Project Type
Project Completion
November 2018
Introduction.
The newly renovated Idaho State Museum provides more space for exhibitions, artifacts, in addition to educational programming that help residents and visitors understand the story of Idaho in an interesting and interactive way. It is an essential educational resource that fosters a statewide sense of community, illuminates Idaho’s history, and empowers individuals to seek the context of the past in order to understand and connect in the present. The Museum looks at how Idaho’s unique landscapes and culture have shaped and continue to shape the experience of all Idahoans. It explores the profound relationship between Idaho’s people and its land, and how it has always defined what it means to live in Idaho.
What we did.
Lexington partnered with Andrew Merriell+Associates for an extremely successful design/build renovation and rejuvenation of the Idaho State Museum. Over a three-year design period, Lexington and AM+A worked with Idaho State Historical Society as they gutted and expanded their 1950s building and outfitted their entire facility with new exhibits totaling over 15,000 square feet of exhibit space. Lexington worked collaboratively with the Museum and AM+A throughout the process to consider best materials and construction for each exhibit, insuring the final product be the highest possible quality within the Museum’s budget. As Lexington moved into the fabrication of the Museum’s exhibit, we continued to ensure design intent was realized on implementation of the 30+ exhibits, interactives, and media experiences that were built. The new Museum’s exhibits are playful, interactive, and media-rich, raising the bar for visitor experience in historical museums.
How we did it.
Through the passion of our people with museum-rich experience, and the power of collaboration, Lexington was thrilled to help deliver this incredible destination. The Museum space includes:
- Galleries devoted to landscapes and telling the stories of North, Central, and South Idaho, including such highlights as the ability to feel the heat and experience how a single spark ignited the infamous Big Burn of 1910, which destroyed over 3 million acres in northern Idaho
- A gallery chronicling Idaho’s origins, including both geologic origins and the stories of Idaho’s five federally recognized tribes, and their involvement in the preservation of fish and other species in Idaho
- Boomtown Gallery, a space designed to teach children about the mining history of Idaho.
- History Lab, where people can learn history by practicing it themselves
- Stories from Idaho, an exhibition on individuals who have made an impact on Idaho’s history that invites visitors to see themselves as part of the story
- Expanded special exhibition, event, and classroom space
- Museum Store featuring locally-produced products and an array of items that incorporate themes represented throughout the Museum
- A Community Room event space which can host public and private events
