Joseph Brant Museum, the cornerstone to downtown Burlington for more than 70 years, is gearing up for a massive makeover.

Its fundraising arm, the Burlington Museums Foundation, is three-quarters of the way toward raising $2.1 million — its share of the $9.5-million renovation.

“That’s fantastic support,” said the foundation’s chair, John Doyle, of the project that has been 10 years in the works. “Especially considering we are still at the preliminary drawings phase of the project,” he added.

The city has already committed to a $2.1-M share of the bill. Doyle also said negotiations are underway to convince the provincial and federal governments to split the remaining cost of the project.