The Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum was built on a passion for history and a pride of community. Our heritage has been lovingly preserved since 1896. Let's continue that legacy by growing our community’s Museum by providing expanded experiences that connect and engage people with the past.

Our unparalleled collection contributes to both our provincial and national narrative. We offer a unique set of programs that bring history alive for the young explorers and the young at heart. We inspire and excite a growing community that values connecting with the past to inform and build their future. We provide opportunities to nurture community relationships built on the joy of learning and discovery. Our galleries explore 9,000 years of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s history - from its Indigenous roots, its Black and Loyalist history, agricultural history, and women’s history, to its truly significant role in Canada’s military achievements.

Join us as we broaden our ability to engage the community and preserve these national treasures for generations to come! A rejuvenated facility will ensure our fundamental history is not buried.

The potential to do more is limited by our current space. The new facility will give us the ability to make history accessible and revitalize our Museum into a place of pride for Niagara-on-the-Lake residents.

Challenges Limiting Accessibility:

A lack of proper programming space impedes the growth of children’s programs and restricts the Museum’s capability to host engaging programs, lectures and partnership activities.

Over-subscribed storage space constrains our ability to accept and safely preserve our culturally significant donations.

Absence of barrier free infrastructure prevents us from welcoming our entire community as well as meeting the legal requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Limited exhibit space prevents us from hosting exhibitions with emerging technologies and interpreting the complete story of our community.

Limited research space creates barriers to sharing our collections with the community.

We will enhance accessibility to Niagara-on-the-Lake's Heritage by:

Eliminating barriers - Increase social inclusion by becoming a barrier-free site with an elevator, access walkways and accessible washrooms.

Modernizing exhibits - Broaden the history of our community by including significant Indigenous history, Black history, military, agricultural and geographic history, and more through fun and engaging interactive displays.

Increasing program capability - A new programming space would allow us to do more theatrical presentations, lectures, and hands-on collections and heritage workshops. We will be able to engage youth by providing year-round experiential learning beyond the classroom.

Opening the vault - Expand and improve our online presence, and through a dedicated research space, provide visitors the ability to interact with the collection. Expanding our storage space will give capacity to improve our collection and continue to ensure the safety of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s significant artefacts and archives.

We are embarking on a $5 million community capital campaign for the revitalization and expansion of our Museum. Your support, along with potential government grants, will help us reach our $10 million dollar goal.

Expansion

The Society owns a parcel of land behind Memorial Hall, upon which a complementary 2-storey building will be constructed. This will add 6,225 sq. ft. to our facility.

The elevator and mezzanine will provide barrier-free accessibility throughout the facility, welcoming the entire community.

The second floor will provide 1,396 sq. ft. of additional space for temporary exhibits. Special attention has been paid to lighting design, which will make this a compelling space for travelling exhibitions.

The basement will connect to the new basement under Memorial Hall, providing additional storage space for our growing collection.

Renovation - Key aspects of the restoration include:

A new basement underneath Memorial Hall will provide much-needed storage space and ensure the structural safety of our 115-year old building.

A dedicated research room will be a vital resource for the community and researchers to enjoy greater access anytime.

A reconfiguration of the second floor Link gallery will connect existing and new structures, with new and wider gallery spaces.

Our permanent exhibitions will be revamped to be more interactive and inclusive.

An expanded gift shop and reconfigured entryway will improve visitor services.

A fire suppression system will better protect our collections and heritage buildings.

Your gift allows us to:

Expand our audience and increase visitors

Improve social inclusion

Develop interactive and diverse displays and programs that connect the past to the present for people to inform and build their futures

Open the vault to expand and explore Niagara-on-the-Lake’s collection

Erect a purpose-built facility

Help us make history accessible and preserve the heritage behind the beauty of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Join us on this exciting journey as we build toward the future of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum.Contact Sarah Kaufman, Managing Director to learn how you can help make our vision a reality - skaufman@nhsm.ca