The Grace Museum

The Grace Museum is located in Abilene, Texas, U.S., and is accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM). It contain three museums: an Art Museum, a History Museum and a Children's Museum. The Art Museum is the oldest of the three, having been founded in the mid-1930s. The Art Museum collection is primarily comprised of works by American artists with a focus on Texas and American Regionalism, the Ashcan School, and Modern works on paper. Recent acquisitions include artwork by David Bates, Vernon Fisher, and Helen Altman. The History Museum and the Children's Museum were both founded by the Abilene Fine Arts Museum with assistance from the Junior League of Abilene. The History museum collection was initiated during the 1970s and is populated by artifacts and records covering the history of Abilene, Texas and the immediate area. A particular strength of the History Museum collection is the Texas and Pacific Railway collection, made up of thousands of photographs, artifacts, models and other records. The Children's Museum is a hands-on based learning center for children and families, and was renovated in 2007. Annual visitation to the Grace is approximately 70,000.

The Grace Museum was led by Director Judith A. Godfrey from 1997-2006, and currently is headed by Dennis Kois, who previously worked at the Smithsonian and The Metropolitan Museum.

The building

The Grace Museum is a 55,000 square foot museum complex contained in the historic Grace Hotel, located in downtown Abilene, Texas. The Grace Hotel was built in 1909 by Col. W. L. Beckham of Greenville, Texas and is located at the corner of Cypress Street and North First Street. The Mission Revival Style hotel was initially a three story structure, however a fourth story was added in the late 1920s. A subsequent renovation removed the main portico, bricked up several main story windows and changed the hotel's name to the Drake Hotel. The Drake Hotel eventually ceased operation and fell into disrepair. The Abilene Preservation League and the Abilene Fine Arts Museum banded together in the late 1980s to save the structure and provide a new and improved home for the Abilene Fine Arts Museum. Following major restoration in the early 1990s, the structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The facade and portico were restored, as were the main lobby and ballroom. Additionally, one wing was restored to its original appearance as a hotel hallway and is used for administrative offices.

The Grace Museum is located at 102 Cypress Abilene, Texas 79601. Nearby to the north is the Frontier Texas! museum of the American West, which opened in 2004.

External links

* [http://www.thegracemuseum.org/ The Grace Museum]
* [http://www.texasfortstrail.com/home/index.asp?page=199&recordid=3998&returnURL=index.asp%3Fpage%3D197%26recordid%3D256%26itinerary%3D%26type%3D7%26msg%3D/ Texas Fort Trail]
* [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/MM/klmpl.html/ Handbook of Texas: Online]
* [http://www.io.com/~tam/Museums/museumlinks1.html/ Texas Association of Museums: Member Links]