Wiregrass Museum of Art facts for kids
The museum in April 2007
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| Established | 1988 |
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| Location | 126 N. College St., Dothan, Alabama, U.S. |
| Type | Art |
The Wiregrass Museum of Art is a cool place in Dothan, Alabama, where you can see amazing art! It used to be called the Dothan Municipal Light and Water Plant. This museum opened its doors in 1988. It's special because it's located inside the city's old power and water plant building. This historic building was recognized for its importance in 1990 and 1991.
Contents
What's Inside the Museum?
The museum started in 1988. It was created to help make Dothan a more exciting place to live. The museum has many different art shows that travel from other places. It also has its own collection of American modern and pop art. You can see artworks by famous artists like Josef Albers, Jim Dine, Robert Indiana, and Frank Stella.
The Museum Building's Story
How the Building Was Used Before
Dothan was first settled in the 1830s. It became an official town in 1885. The town grew much faster when railroads arrived in the 1890s. As Dothan got bigger in the 1910s, it needed a new power plant. The old one was not big enough anymore.
The new plant was built between 1912 and 1913. It had many parts, including a powerhouse, a garage, and places to store coal and water. This plant was the only coal-powered plant in the Wiregrass Region at that time. It had two large generators and a huge water pump. The city even used the plant to attract new businesses. They advertised cheap energy rates to encourage companies to move there.
By 1928, running the plant became too expensive. The city stopped using it and started getting electricity from Alabama Power. This company used hydroelectric power, which comes from water. The city took over the plant again in 1933 after making some improvements. But by 1949, Alabama Power was supplying all the electricity. The generators and water pumps were removed. The building was then used for city offices and storage. In the early 1990s, the Wiregrass Museum of Art moved into this historic building.
What the Building Looks Like
Today, only the main powerhouse building from the original complex is still standing. The powerhouse has three main parts. The front part has two stories and a flat roof. This section used to be offices. The middle part has a hip roof and once held the big generators. The back part was used to store coal. It is separated from the middle by a brick firewall.
The front of the building has five sections. The main entrance is set back a bit. Above the entrance, there is a rounded window called a fanlight. It has a fancy arch made of brick and granite. The windows on the front used to be old-fashioned sashes that opened up and down. Now, they are single fixed panes of glass. The building also has a decorative top edge with a granite sign. This sign says "Municipal Light & Water Plant - Built 1912–13".
