GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — On a Tuesday afternoon, George Bayard is hard at work at the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives. The venue just hosted a comedy show, and Bayard spent much of the afternoon putting artifacts back in their normal spot within the museum.
"When you look at Grand Rapids and the stories that are here, when you look at the people that came from here, and you look at all the information that we've discovered just in the seven years that we've been here, 2,000 square feet is not enough room to tell all those stories," he said.
That's why Bayard and everyone else involved with the museum has been looking for a new place to call home, and they think they've found it.
245 State Street Southeast is between Lafayette and Jefferson avenues right where downtown ends and the historic Heritage Hill neighborhood begins. It shares space with the Grand Rapids Public Museum High School and the public museum archives.
"The new building that we've actually signed a letter of intent for is 17,000 square feet, which will give us plenty of room to do some of the things that we've been wanting to do and some of the things that we want to continue to do," Bayard said.
The size of the building is just one advantage the new location has over the current location on Monroe Center Street/Breonna Taylor Way. The new building will come with a parking lot. Right now, guests often rely on metered parking to visit the current location in the often-crowded downtown area.
It's no coincidence Bayard chose March 1 to make this announcement. It's the first day after Black History Month, and Bayard wants people to know that Black history isn't something you can confine to one month.
"We want people to realize that the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives does everything possible to make that history a continuum — to make it a journey, so that you can come in here at any time, any month, any any time of year, and find out something about our museum."
The next step in the process is fundraising. Bayard says it will cost about $2.5 million to buy the new building and $3 million to renovate it.
"We will be hitting every corner and crevice of this community to try and help us raise the money to purchase the building, and to renovate the building, and then sustain the building," he said.
The museum is accepting donations on its website. Once the new location is open, the Museum will start charging admission which it does not currently do. Bayard says the Museum will need that money to cover overhead costs, and he's hopeful the community will support this endeavor.
"Grand Rapids deserves this," he said.
"For us, it's everything. It's a cultural center. It'll be an art gallery. It'll be a historical location. It'll also be a place where people can go in and learn. We'll have a combination of hands on exhibits and high tech."
Bayard says it can be tough figuring out a timeline, but he does not believe the Museum will be moved out of its current location before the end of the year.
"Realistically, it's going to be spring of next year before we really can get into that building, but you never know. If we raise the money quicker than expected. We may be out of here by the end of this year," he said.
"We're moving on up, and that's how we really feel about this. We're getting our chance in the big leagues. We've got our chance at bat. And that's when I think we're gonna hit it out of the park."
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