City of Raleigh News Release - Raleigh City Museum Director

Jayne Kirkpatrick, Director, Public Affairs
Prepared by: Christopher Riley, Senior Public Affairs Specialist

For more information: Troy Burton, Raleigh City Museum Administrator, 919-996-4772

Sept.  7, 2012

Raleigh City Museum Names Preservation Pro Director

The City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department has hired Ernest Dollar to serve as the new director of the Raleigh City Museum.

Mr. Dollar has served for the previous five years as executive director of the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill. He begins work Monday, Sept. 10.

“We are thrilled Ernest elected to accept the charge to become the director of the Raleigh City Museum,” said Troy Burton, administrator of the Historical Resources and Museum Program under which the City Museum will operate. “His vision, enthusiasm, and leadership will be an absolute asset to us as we embark on this new chapter in the museum’s story.

The Raleigh City Museum is located in the former Brigg’s Hardware Building at 220 Fayetteville Street. The museum was temporarily closed on July 1 as a part of the transition to City of Raleigh management.  

The Raleigh City Museum will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 11. The museum’s new hours will be Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The new operating hours represent an increase of 10 hours per week.

 On June 19, the Raleigh City Council authorized a five-year sub-lease that retains the museum’s current space. The lease is for $65,000 annually and can be extended for up to 15 years. The City Council also authorized an agreement by which the City of Raleigh assumed responsibility for operations and programs of the museum. The Raleigh City Museum non–profit, which previously operated the museum, transferred all exhibits, collections, and artifacts to the City. The organization is now a “friends” group and will be responsible for raising funds for the museum exhibits.
 
The Raleigh City Museum opened its first exhibit in 1993 and is the only home for artifacts of the city and its people. Construction on the four-story Briggs Hardware Building began in 1872 and was completed in 1874. It is recognized as the only 19th-century commercial building in Downtown Raleigh to survive virtually unchanged and is the City’s first “skyscraper.”

For more information, visit www.raleighnc.gov/museums, or contact Troy Burton, 919-996-4772 or troy.burton@raleighnc.gov .