Later this month, the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe will temporarily close again, this time for more than a year.
From May 17 to June of next year, the building will be replacing its fire suppression system, among other renovations.
David Breeckner is with the Arizona Historical Society.
“The building’s just about 32 years old, which does not sound old at all when you’re a historical society but it’s our facility that needs the most TLC," Breeckner said.
The center was closed last fall to fix flood damage caused by Valley storms.
“The flooding damage was absolutely a major focus for us throughout the fall and winter, where we had to close for three months to address that issue," Breeckner said. "But this [the new closure] really stems from a report we received from the Tempe Fire Department speaking to our fire suppression system and the need to replace and modernize it for health and safety reasons.”
The society says while the museum galleries will be closed, public programs and events will continue, like trivia nights and story telling events, as well as in-classroom educational programs.
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