SOHS has been working to open the museum in the historic J.C. Penney building at 106 North Central Avenue in downtown Medford.
The planned opening date was sometime in October of this year. However, that date has been pushed back after heavy rain fell this past weekend, causing “major” water damage, SOHS said.
At the time, the building was being re-roofed and water was able to penetrate the building as a result.
SOHS Executive Director Ron Kramer said, “We were extremely fortunate that our Archive collection of 2-dimensional artifacts is in an area which was not affected. A portion of our collection of 3-dimensional materials, located in another area of the building, did suffer from water intrusion and we are evaluating which items need to receive special conservation efforts.”
According to SOHS, the amount of damage done to the building’s interior is “significant,” but the restoration process has already started.
SOHS said it anticipates an opening sometime in the spring of 2024.
“Our new museum is still going to open, just somewhat later than we had intended,” Kramer said.
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