Cost of new Royal B.C. Museum set at $789 million
Site's closure expected to be a blow to Victoria's tourism until modern replacement opens in 2030
VICTORIA — The Royal British Columbia Museum — a destination for nearly one million people every year — will be closed in September, torn down and replaced with a modern building by 2030.
The province announced Friday it will spend $789 million to build a modern replacement, 54 years after the museum complex opened as a Centennial project,
Combined with the $224-million archives and collections building being designed for suburban Colwood, the total price tag is $1 billion, which Premier John Horgan called the most significant cultural investment in B.C. history.
The five-building complex has not had any significant renovations in decades. It's considered outdated, insufficiently accessible and filled with asbestos. Officials say it's putting the collections and the people who visit and work there at risk.
Last year, the museum sparked a public outcry when it closed its pioneer and First Peoples exhibits, saying it needed to “decolonize” its exhibits and develop new displays featuring “forgotten” minorities who also helped build the province.
“For decades, people from British Columbia and around the globe have come to the Royal B.C. Museum to learn about our special corner of the world. For just as long, the stories told here have failed to accurately reflect our colonial history or include everyone, and priceless collections are now being put at risk in an aging building,” Horgan said at Friday's announcement at the museum.
The museum will close for good on Sept. 6.
The B.C. Archives will remain open at the downtown site until it moves to a new permanent home at the collections and research building in Colwood 2025.
The museum's closure will hit tourism hard over the next decade, said Paul Nursey, chief executive of Destination Greater Victoria. He said the museum has always been the heavyweight attraction when it comes to national and international companies booking ticketed tours of the city.
“We'll try to mitigate the challenges,” he said, adding in the long term, a modern museum will be beneficial. “We saw this in Vancouver when they were building the convention centre and Canada Line ... when they were completed, things were better.”
Tourism Minister Melanie Mark said the museum will continue to reach people across the province with travelling exhibitions, regional satellite displays and an interactive walking tour in Victoria. Museum events, community programs and learning experiences will also be expanded.
Mark said the new building will be a museum for the next generation, saying government, the museum board and
staff, along with First Nations, are “turning the walls inside out to create a flagship historical centre, inclusive of all the
stories of the people who have shaped B.C.”