Fall 2020 - 1736 Magazine

Museum
ROW
Lack of funding will delay two
new museums, one expansion,
in city’s cultural corridor
By DAMON CLINE
Plans to create two new museums in
downtown Augusta and expand a third
will have to remain on the drawing board
a little while longer.
None of the proposals will appear to make the
special purpose local options sales tax project list
that Richmond County voters will consider in
March.
Among the projects was a $2 million proposal to
turn the old Academy of Richmond County building
into a “Georgia Museum of Military History”;
a $3.5 million plan to turn the old Congregation
Children of Israel Synagogue and the adjacent
Court of the Ordinary building into a Jewish history
museum; and a $7 million project to construct
a wing for the James Brown collection at the
Augusta Museum of History.
Backers of the projects, which tourism officials
say would help create a walkable cultural
attraction that would generate tourist revenue on
lower Broad Street, say they are disappointed but
undeterred.
“We are pressing ahead with the museum
regardless of SPLOST,” said Brendan Thompson,
who leads the initiative to turn the 218-year-old
Telfair Street building into center celebrating the
city’s deep military heritage. “We will have to
pursue alternate funding sources.”
Thompson had planned to use SPLOST funds as
seed funding before soliciting private companies
and collectors of militaria.
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