BLISSFIELD, Mich. (AP) — A new agricultural museum in
Michigan would include a collection of 6,000 farm toys as well as
displays on the history of agriculture and agriculture technology,
organizers said.
Rhode Island-based architect Friedrich St.
Florian, who designed the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.,
showed a design concept last week for the Agricultural Awareness and
Preservation Museum, The Daily Telegram of Adrian reported (http://bit.ly/1hXaWoC ).
St.
Florian said he was inspired by barns in the design for the
30,000-square-foot museum, which would be built in Blissfield, about 55
miles southwest of Detroit. He said the design was obvious and he wanted
to use a structure that was a versatile and flexible part of the family
farm.
"I wanted to start with a barn," he said. "But you can’t just copy in architecture. With
architecture, you have to be inspired."
The
museum is designed as three connected barns. The museum would have two
floors with the upper mezzanine overlooking the entire main floor. The
site is adjacent to farmland, which could be used as a classroom setting
and a demonstration farm, St. Florian said.
But the heart of the
museum will be the farm toys, said Melissa Growden, marketing
coordinator and secretary of the museum’s board. The museum board looked
at several different possible sites, but decided on Blissfield because
of its rich agricultural heritage.
Fundraising is taking place for the project.
Plans
call for the museum to be built at the site of the former Blissfield
Canning Co. The village bought the 35-acre property about four years
ago, and village President Mike Gunter said the village council supports
the idea for a museum at the site.
"We see a lot of potential for
what this can do for the village and for Lenawee County," Gunter said.
"This embraces Blissfield, it embraces our history, our heritage. To
have something along these lines come into the village, it fits, it just
makes sense."
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