Whatcom Museum facts for kids
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| Location | Bellingham, Washington |
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| Type | Art museum, History museum |
| Accreditation | American Alliance of Museums |
| Architect | Olson Kundig Architects, Lightcatcher Building |
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Old City Hall
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| Location | Bellingham, Washington |
| Built | 1892 |
| Architect | Alfred Lee |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000648 |
| Added to NRHP | April 03, 1970 |
The Whatcom Museum is a cool place in Bellingham, Washington, where you can explore both natural history (like animals and plants) and art. It's a special museum because it's approved by the American Alliance of Museums, which means it meets high standards. The museum is actually made up of three different buildings: the Old City Hall, Old Fire Station No.1, and a newer building called The Lightcatcher.
About the Museum
The Whatcom Museum started in 1982 as a non-profit organization. This means it's run for the public good, not to make money. The museum has three main buildings. These are the Old City Hall, the Old Fire Station No.1, and The Lightcatcher. Inside The Lightcatcher, you'll find the Family Interactive Gallery (FIG), which is a fun place for families to learn and play.
The museum is managed by two groups working together. These are the City of Bellingham and the Whatcom Museum Foundation.
Building Designs
The Old City Hall building is very old and has a lot of history. It was first built in 1892 for the town of New Whatcom, which later became part of Bellingham. A local architect named Alfred Lee designed it. He used red brick and special stone from the Chuckanut Mountains to build it. The design looked almost exactly like another old courthouse in Michigan.
When it was first built, the Old City Hall sat high up on a hill overlooking Bellingham Bay. But over many years, people filled in parts of the waterfront to create more land. Now, the building is located above Maritime Heritage Park.
The building was used as the city hall until 1936. Then, in 1941, it became part of the museum. In 1962, a fire damaged the building. But the community worked together and raised money to fix it.
In 2009, the Whatcom Museum opened a new part in a building called The Lightcatcher. This building was designed by a company from Seattle called Olson Kundig Architects. It's named The Lightcatcher because it has a huge, see-through wall that is 37 feet tall and 180 feet long. This special wall helps the building save energy by letting in lots of natural light.
What You Can See
The Whatcom Museum has a huge collection of more than 30,000 different objects. These items help tell stories about art, history, and nature.
One important part of the collection includes over 4,000 items. These are from the old photos and records of two photographers from the Pacific Northwest, Darius Kinsey and Tabitha Kinsey. Their work shows what life was like a long time ago.
The museum also has a special area called the John M. Edson Hall of Birds. This whole floor is filled with hundreds of taxidermied birds. These birds were part of a collection owned by John M. Edson. It's a great place to learn about different types of birds.
