TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa’s Gilcrease Museum is doing everything it can to continue building the new museum on schedule with COVID-19 and inflation putting a strain on construction costs.
2 News Oklahoma reported the city decided to demolish the museum to make way for a newer one after originally planning to expand the existing building. Gilcrease Museum Executive Director Susan Neal could barely believe what was in front of her, looking at the concrete slab about to be poured on the lower level of the nearly 93,000-square-foot museum on Wednesday.
“A museum is one of the most expensive types of real estate you can build," Neal said. "It has a lot to do with the elements of temperature and humidity controls.”
With $65 million set aside by Tulsa voters in 2016 through a Vision package, Neal says they have to come up with additional funds due to high construction costs.
“We are confident that we can close this final gap and we’ve already made strides to do that," Neal said.
She says they’ve already acquired $37 million from donors, excluding city funds, and a public campaign is expected before the start of 2023.
"No one anticipated this," she said. "Sadly we’re not in this alone.”
By the time the building is officially complete and all the exhibits are inside, Neal says it could be 2025 before the museum is officially open.
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