Wiregrass Museum of Art facts for kids
The museum in April 2007
|
|
| Established | 1988 |
|---|---|
| Location | 126 N. College St., Dothan, Alabama, U.S. |
| Type | Art |
The Wiregrass Museum of Art is a cool art museum in Dothan, Alabama, USA. It used to be called the Dothan Municipal Light and Water Plant. The museum started in 1988. It's located inside the city's old power and water building. This historic building was recognized in 1990 and 1991 for its importance.
About the Museum
The museum opened in 1988. It was created after a magazine article said Dothan was not a great place to live. The museum wanted to make the city better. It shows art from different places. It also has its own collection. This collection includes American modern and pop art. You can see works by famous artists like Josef Albers, Jim Dine, Robert Indiana, and Frank Stella.
The Museum Building
Building History
Dothan was first settled in the 1830s. It became a city in 1885. But it really started to grow when railroads arrived in the 1890s. As the city grew fast in the 1910s, it needed a new power plant. The old one was not big enough.
The new plant was built between 1912 and 1913. It had many parts. These included a powerhouse, a garage, and a cooling pond. It also had places for coal and water pumps. At that time, it was the only coal-powered plant in the Wiregrass Region. The plant helped attract new businesses to the area. It offered cheap energy.
By 1928, the plant became too costly to run. So, it was closed down. The city then got its electricity from Alabama Power. This company used hydroelectric power. The city took over the plant again in 1933. But by 1949, Alabama Power was supplying all the electricity. The old generators and water pumps were removed. The building was then used for city offices and storage. The Wiregrass Museum of Art moved into this building in the early 1990s.
Building Design
Today, only the main powerhouse building remains. It has three parts. The front part has two stories and a flat roof. This section was used for offices. The middle part has a hip roof. This is where the generators used to be. The back part was for storing coal. It is separated by a brick wall.
The front of the building has five sections. The main entrance is set back. It has a special fan-shaped window above it. There is also a decorative arch made of brick and granite. The windows on the front were once divided into six small panes. Now, they are single, fixed panes. The building has a fancy top edge. It has a granite sign that says "Municipal Light & Water Plant - Built 1912–13".
