Monday, March 25, 2013

Former governor calls for reopening mineral museum

In an op-ed piece in the Arizona Republic today, former Governor Rose Mofford called for reopening the Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum but at its long ago home at the State Fair grounds in Phoenix.  

The museum had been housed on the Capitol Mall in Phoenix until 2010 when it was transferred to the Arizona Historical Society to become the home of the Arizona Experience museum [right] in celebration of the state's centennial.  The minerals and other exhibits were removed for the remodeling of the building but the hoped-for private contributions to fund the new museum have not been forthcoming, putting the museum plans on hold.

Fans of the mining and mineral museum have carried on a continuing campaign to reopen it or have a replacement built.  Legislation was introduced both last year and in the current session to have AZGS create a museum.  Neither version has had a hearing.

7 comments:

  1. woowww this is amazing,,,arizona republik this is verry verry cool i like it

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  2. Anonymous8:54 AM

    We need the mining and mineral museum back....it was a big loss when it had to vacate the building for the centennial museum. I hope the mining and mineral museum will be reestablished very soon. It's great for education and for AZ residents and tourists to visit.

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  3. A complete timeline of the mineral museum / centennial museum controversy is available on the blog Mineral Museum Madness.

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  4. I want my mining and mineral museum back!

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  5. About the beautiful drawing of the "Arizona Centennial Museum" on the front of this posting: where is it? When I google the name, it comes up with articles about planning for this museum, but no photos of the front of the actual building. Perhaps they have gotten too busy to update their construction progress.

    Or, perhaps I got the date wrong, and that it will be scheduled to open in 2112. In which case, kudos to all involved who are willing to spend the next hundred years designing what will assuredly be a great museum. (Note that they will also have to change the name on the drawing to "Bicentennial".)

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  6. Anonymous5:13 AM

    Nothing was wrong with the old museum.
    Tourist loved it and it was a tourist draw as well as a benefit for scholl kids who came by the bus load. Sometimes going "back" is better than going "forward". This is one of those cases.

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  7. Anonymous7:42 PM

    The Arizona Historical Society Board of Directors should fire Ann Woosley and Bill Ponder who claim to run the AHS. Then the Board should dissolve itself for being so stupid. As of December 2013 NOTHING has happened in the building nor will anything happen! The Arizona Historical Society wasted $1,400,000 on the Rio Nuevo mess in Tucson. Nothing was built in that boondoggle and they have spent a few hundred thousand on this recent boondoggle. Somebody please fire Ann Woosley before she destroys the AHS.

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