The Children’s Museum is hunting for new digs and hanging a for-sale sign on the building it has called home for 31 years. Hank Daniszewski explains why.

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The London Children’s Museum is approaching middle age and looking for a bigger place.

But the first step is selling the “starter home” — the old Riverview school into which the museum moved in 1982.

“We have outgrown this space. This building has seen a lot of little feet and a lot of wear and tear, so our maintenance costs are up and we can’t grow in this space,” said Amanda Conlon, who recently took over as museum executive director.

Future growth is limited because of the building’s design, she said. “We can’t bring in these big splashy exhibits that draw people in because they just don’t fit through our doors.”

The museum decided it made more sense to sell first and buy later, Conlon said. “We want to use the proceeds of this sale to invest in a new location.”

The museum doesn’t have a capital reserve budget and has run operating deficits for a couple of years, she said.

About 75% of the museum’s operating budget comes from admissions and the rest from government funding and private donors.

Housing the museum in a new building will draw more visitors from the region and encourage more repeat visits, Conlon said.

The museum plans to launch a fundraising campaign, but will first consult and survey the public about expectations for the new building, she said.

“We want to engage the public. This is a community organization and we want to know what they have to say.”

Finding a new property may take several years, and the museum will hold public meetings before making a decision, Conlon said.

On Wednesday, the museum building at Wharncliffe Rd. S. goes on the market.

Gary Pollock, a broker with DTZ Barnicke, didn’t disclose the list price, but said it’s a “one-of-a-kind” core property with ample parking that could be converted to residential or office use.

“It’s got a lot of character. That three-storey open atrium works very nicely.”

Conlon said the museum will remain open at the current site until a new property is found and lease it back temporarily if the building is sold.

hank.daniszewski@sunmedia.ca

twitter.com/HankatLFPress

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BY THE NUMBERS



80,000: Visitors each year

9:Permanent exhibits

28,370: Sq. ft. of floor space

9: Full-time employees

100: Volunteers

250: Museum members

$1.2M: Annual operating budget

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Museum origins

Carol Johnston, a public health nurse and supply teacher, visited a children’s museum in Boston with her five children in 1973 and was determined to bring the concept back to London.

She founded the museum in 1975, taking artifacts and kits to city playgrounds with materials donated by neighbours and businesses.

In 1977, museum found space in City Centre Mall and five years later moved to former Riverview school that was bought and renovated for $1.5 million. The money was raised in the community.

Johnston served as executive director until 1990 and was inducted into Order of Canada.

21 Wharncliffe Rd. S.

Riverview elementary school opens in 1915

Children’s Museum opens in 1982

Museum milestones

1975: Founded as first children’s museum in Canada

1977: Locates in City Centre Mall

1979: Moves to London Towers

1982: After raising $1.5 million to buy and renovate former Riverview elementary school, museum celebrates grand opening on Wharncliffe Rd.

1984: Science Gallery opens

1990: Prosaurolophus skeleton, a replica of a 125-million-year-old dinosaur unearthed in Alberta, is installed

1996: Skeleton of humpback whale, which died after being caught in a fishing net off Newfoundland, arrives at museum

2000: Museum marks 25th anniversary; It has 10 permanent galleries, 100,000 visitors a year.

2005: Carol and Bud Johnston Atrium of Excellent Adventures named

2011: My Arctic Discovery opens