AURORA — The city of Aurora will begin construction on a 2,580-square-foot addition to the Aurora History Museum after a groundbreaking ceremony at 2 p.m. March 18 at the museum.
The new space will permanently house a recovered trolley trailer that ran along the dirt roads of Aurora in 1913. An as-yet-unseen history exhibit made of hundreds pictures, maps and artifacts devoted to the 123-year evolution of Aurora will also be installed permanently, with the trolley as the centerpiece of the story.
“We collect (these artifacts) in general,” said Jennifer Kuehner, executive director of the Aurora History Museum. “And now we’ll use pieces within that collection to tell the stories that speak to Aurora’s rich history.”
into the floor plan of an east Aurora farmhouse in 2006. Once it was pulled out, the Denver Tramway Company Trolley Trailer underwent several years of restoration by volunteer carpenters in Aurora.
“It’s been eight years since we found the trolley and since this whole thing started,” Kuehner said. “We’re thrilled to get something more permanent going, and excited that it’s finally here.”
The city granted the museum $1.4 million for construction of the addition. About $100,000 is needed from outside donations for the installation of the trolley, which will be on top of actual trolley tracks.
The new museum wing will be named after Ruth Fountain, an Aurora city councilwoman from 1971 who financed and coordinated the volunteer trolley restoration effort through the .
The addition breaks down as 1,670-square-feet on the east side of the museum for the trolley, and a 910-square-feet of space for additional exhibit storage and work space.
The Aurora History Museum is at 15051 E. Alameda Parkway. There will be reception inside the museum after the groundbreaking.
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, or mmitchell@denverpost.com
