Museum Starts Construction of New Wing

The Children’s Museum at La Habra broke ground Wednesday for an 8,000-square-foot expansion. It will nearly quadruple the size of the renovated Union Pacific train depot at 301 S. Euclid Street that houses the “hands-on� learning center.

Designed by Michael Tryon of South Coast Architectural Group, Newport Beach, the new wing--which will open in late April or early May--will house three galleries: a preschool “play park,� a physical science “discovery� area, and “Kids on Stage,� a theater exhibit.

Also to be included are a multipurpose room; classroom, office and storage space; additional restrooms, a gift shop, and a new entrance and lobby.

The total cost of the project is $700,000 ($500,000 for construction and the remainder for exhibitions, equipment and first-year operating expenses). More than $425,000 has been raised, primarily through private contributions and grants.

Founded in 1977, the museum contains a “nature walk� with stuffed animals in a natural habitat, a model train village, play space for young children and a gallery with exhibits that change four times a year. Guided tours cater both to school and family groups.

Annual attendance at the museum is nearly 100,000. Director Catherine M. Michaels says the museum hopes to double that figure in the enlarged building.

The 1988 winner of the Business in the Arts Award from the Orange County Business Committee for the Arts, the museum receives 20% of its $400,000 annual budget from La Habra and the rest from corporate and private donors, memberships and admissions.