The Ukrainian Museum reports on status of its building project (04/18/99)

The Ukrainian Museum reports on status of its building project

The members of the board of trustees of The Ukrainian Museum on April 7 issued the following communique in order to share with the Ukrainian community information about the current status of the museum's new building project.

Museum history

The Ukrainian Museum was founded in 1976 by the Ukrainian National Women's League of America as an independent entity. Generously supported by the community, both morally and financially, the institution grew and continued to develop in all phases of its endeavors. Its work brought success and with it popularity, not only among the public, but among the museum's peers as well.

Three major fields of interest formed the mainstay of the museum's holdings: folk art, fine arts and photographic/documentary collections. These expanded over the years, as did the institution's agenda, bringing to the forefront the pressing problem of shortage of space at the museum's present location. It became clear that the museum's modest facility could not meet its current needs. The institution was also long overdue for a proper setting within which to realize its mission: to present the rich cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people to the general public. By virtue of its location in New York City, a major global cultural center, a modern, representative museum of Ukrainian history and culture would certainly be a showcase for what is best in the Ukrainian experience.

In 1985 the board of trustees of The Ukrainian Museum purchased a commercial building on East Sixth Street in New York City, in the heart of the Ukrainian community, with the aim of rebuilding it into a modern museum facility.

The Ukrainian community embraced this idea with great enthusiasm and most generous support, contributing to the quick repayment of the mortgage on the property. The fund-raising campaign for the rebuilding project, which then had begun in earnest, was also strongly endorsed by the museum's friends and supporters in various ways: through donations to the Building Fund, often in the memory of a beloved family member; through purchases of exhibition galleries and other spaces in the proposed new building; through the organization of special events, the proceeds of which benefited the fundraising endeavor. More than $3 million was raised for the Building Fund - a monumental achievement for our community. While joining forces to support the new building project, many museum supporters were concerned also about the future of the institution. Thus, they made sure that the endowment and memorial funds, which are designed to safeguard the financial stability of the museum, continued to grow.

Past successes and future plans

With the endorsement of our community, the fund-raising campaign in support of the building project has been very successful. Initially, $1.5 million had been raised toward the purchase of the industrial property and toward paying off the mortgage. Since 1991 over $3 million was raised for the Building Fund.

In May of 1998 the New York City Department of Buildings approved the architectural design plans for the new facility. The final design was the result of many detailed revisions and was the best one chosen from all the variants. All expenses tied to this phase of the project have been paid.

Raising funds, even with the generous assistance from the community, took a very long time.

Unfortunately, time has affected the cost of the project. The 1992 projected total project cost of $3.5 million has now increased to approximately $6 million. This increase is due primarily to the annual construction cost increases of 5 to 10 percent per year, as well as the increased size and scope of the project, which has now grown by over 2,000 square feet. Although the museum has no control over annual construction cost escalation, the increased project size and scope was approved by the board to allow for sufficient exhibition space and visual impact of the new building. The museum, therefore, needs an additional $3 million to fund this project.

In June 1998 the members of the board of trustees, chaired by the newly elected president, Olha Hnateyko, found themselves in the inevitable position of having to sign the contract with the builder. But they re-evaluated the various financial aspects of the project, under the current circumstances, and decided that they needed to take a more judicious approach to this matter.

The people in our communities are very generous and they know how important it is for the museum to have a building that will not only meet its professional needs, but also be a source of pride for all Ukrainians. The members of the board of trustees, like many people in our community, realize that time is of the essence. Thus, at one point recently, the board members were ready to borrow the necessary funds to complete the building. However, after analyzing the situation, they reconsidered, since $3 million does constitute an enormous debt for many years, which the museum would have to carry while concurrently maintening a brand new building and running a professional museum. The board members also expressed their strong reluctance to leave such a large debt for our children and grandchildren to repay.

It was decided, therefore, to review various other options. It must be made clear, however, that the project of building a new museum facility on East Sixth Street is not being rejected, but is merely being put on hold for a short time. Should fund-raising yield enough money so that it would not be necessary to borrow more than $1 million, the project will be reactivated.

In the meantime, long negotiations were conducted with the owners of a building on Third Avenue, which they had considered offering for sale. The building presented a reasonable solution to the board's dilemma. The museum could sell its Sixth Street industrial building, have the necessary funds to purchase the one on Third Avenue and use some of the previously raised money for remodeling. This looked like a good opportunity to have a new museum facility without going into heavy debt. However, this became a prolonged affair, and to this date has not yielded any positive results. Other possibilities are being explored whereby the museum's resources may be used in alternate ways, but these probes are in the initial stages only.

Members of the board of trustees and the administration of The Ukrainian Museum continue to work every day with great enthusiasm and the conviction that our goal will be reached shortly. Just like our friends, whose support of the museum and faith in its mission have held steadfast, we also are sure that The Ukrainian Museum will have a new home in the very near future.

The museum is the depository of many objects of historical and cultural merit, given to us in trust by people who have cherished them and brought them, under very trying conditions, from Ukraine to their new home in America. These objects are treasures of our cultural heritage and are fundamental to the preservation of our identity as a people. They also constitute our contribution to the enrichment of the country where we have settled. These treasures must be preserved and protected; they must remain here to confirm our existence and our input into the multicultural mosaic that is the hallmark of the United States; they must remain here as a source of pride for future generations, to share with our neighbors, for the use of scholars and researchers.

Museum staff members very often see cultural treasures being destroyed because people who own them are not aware of their value and their uniqueness. It is for all these reasons that it is important for the Ukrainian community in the United States to have a proper sanctuary for these objects, where in accordance with contemporary museum practices, museum professionals would be able to protect and care for them, as has been done for more than 22 years. Our community needs a showcase, a new, modern museum building in which to display the remarkable achievements of our immigration, as well as the rich cultural legacy of the Ukrainian people.

Together we need to raise the necessary funds to complete this project. Let each of us contribute to this effort.

Together, let us be the ones who will build a new facility for The Ukrainian Museum by the end of this century.

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