Overhaul planned for Battle Born Hall museum exhibit at Nevada State Capitol
CARSON CITY — Battle Born Hall, the museum exhibit inside the old Senate chambers on the second floor of the Nevada State Capitol, is closing its doors Nov. 1 for a major renovation.
“We will be creating a new visitor experience,” Peter Barton, administrator of the Division of Museums and History, said. “Doing so will require us to close down for 10 months or so to take out existing exhibits and build in the new experience.”
The Capitol building, which houses the offices of Gov. Brian Sandoval and other constitutional officers, will remain open during the construction and tours of the building conducted by docents from the Nevada State Museum will continue, including on Saturday.
The Nevada150 Foundation, which was formed to spearhead the state’s 150th birthday in 2014, dedicated $700,000 for the Battle Born Hall renovation.
Seattle-based Pacific Studio is creating the new exhibits, which will include the state’s prehistory, Native population and early explorers; Nevada in the national context as the 36th state; and the state’s history of innovation.
“Visitors will find that Nevada has always been ahead of the curve on innovation,” Barton said. “From the way we constructed railroads to the way we built mines to high-tech centers that store data or build energy systems for the future, Nevada has been and continues to be a leader.”
The new exhibit will also focus on the room and the Capitol building itself as the birthplace of Nevada’s government.
“When people go into Battle Born Hall, what we want them to understand that room served as the Senate chambers for more than 100 years,” Barton said. “The debates that raged on in that room and across the hall in the old Assembly chambers, shaped what happened in the state. It’s real, it’s authentic and we want to share that with our visitors.”
The exhibit is expected to open in the fall of 2018.
— Guy Clifton is a Public Relations Specialist for the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Museums, Arts and Indian news. He can be reached at gclifton@travelnevada.com
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