Atrium Renovation
The Atrium is the first thing you walk into when you enter our facility. Many things were reused from the original structure to complete the look. The atrium is the welcoming and entrance for the guests. This area is used for many purposes such as cooking classes, small group projects, event bar service and also contains the music room which allows guests to listen to the vinyl record archives.
1. Design – Crates and pallets were reused in the architecture of the building to create a rustic look (while environmentally friendly). They are used as the back splash and the pillar surroundings in the kitchen.
2. Sand Blasting – Sandblasting is an abrasive blasting is the operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive material against a surface under high pressure to smooth a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface, shape a surface, or remove surface contaminants. Sand blasting brought back the original look and texture to the stonework, pillars and beams in the museum.
3. Wheat Cabinets – Wheat cabinetry provides storage and counter space for our music room and kitchen. Instead of cutting down trees to make furniture, we had our cabinets created out of left over wheat straw. How? After a harvest, the stalk and everything left over, is compressed and made into wheat cabinetry.
4. Skylights and Windows – large skylights and windows provide the museum with ample natural sunlight. This reduces our need to turn on lights as often, and keeps the museum’s energy bill low.
5. Motion Censored Lighting – The Atrium, music room, and bathrooms are all equipped with motion censored lighting which helps conserve energy in our facility.
6. Bathrooms – The toilets, sinks, soap dispensers, and hand dryers are all motion censored. This is energy efficient and water efficient because the fixtures only run when they need to and shut off when they are not in use. The sink sensor runs on a battery that recharges as water flows (a turbine is spun to recharge the power source for the sensor). All of the fixtures in the bathroom are low flow to prevent over usage of water needed.
7. Polished Concrete – The flooring in the atrium is a high polished concrete. It is very durable and very easy to maintain. The texture and look of the concrete gives it a “marble floor” feeling, while no buffing or chemicals are needed to maintain the flooring’s beauty.
8. Green Rug -The rugs in the museum are not only green in color, but are also made out of green materials. The bottoms of the rugs are made of 15% recycled tires and the tops are made out of recycled pop bottles.
9. Low VOC Paint -The museum’s walls are painted with a low VOC(Volatile Organic Chemical) paint. This reduces any harmful chemicals given off by most other paints.
10. Donation Box – The donation box was created by Jeremy Brech and Todd Boltjes.Todd created the box with birch wood, and the building was pieced together on it’s stand. Using a digital camera and taking a total of 144 photos, Jeremy created a full 360 degree panoramic view of the exterior of the building.The full length images were printed on a clear plexiglass which gave the building full dimension, including the solar panels.
11. Display Case – The abandoned circa 1914 display case was donated by the Gorley family in 2009. It holds the building’s original burglar alarm and fire equipment, plus old Standard Oil Company oil and gas cans.
12. Standard Oil Company Signs – The Standard Oil Company occupied the building in the early 1900′s-and we’ve got signs to prove it! The garage next door, which now houses an advertising firm, was renovated a couple years before the museum. At that time, the plumbing company started work in the old garage and was drilling into the floor. When the drill bit came back up, they expected to find dirt. When no dirt came back through the hole they decided to cut out a chunk of the concrete where they found a basement unexposed to sunlight for years. They found all of the original signs from the old Standard Oil Building. The company put most of the signs up for auction and the museum actually had to buy back our original signs!
13. Kitchen Renovation – The kitchen was installed in the atrium which was to be used as a demonstration kitchen for classes. Professional chefs come in and use the stainless steel, gas stove kitchen for educational purposes. Visit our Upcoming Activities page for classes and times.
