National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
Encyclopedia
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) is a museum
and library
of Czech and Slovak
history and culture located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
, in the United States
. Established in 1974, the museum and library moved to its present site in 1983. The museum was severely affected by the Iowa flood of 2008
. The NCSML is currently housed in temporary space until rebuilding and expansion efforts are completed in 2012.
s in the Cedar Rapids area founded the Czech Fine Arts Foundation to preserve Czech heritage and culture. In 1978, the group's growing collection of artifacts
and documents caused them to open a Czech Museum in a three-room house, where the museum attracted additional materials and volunteers. In 1981, the collections were moved to a new building on the museum's current site with the goal of permanent public display. In 1983, the group acquired a 2,200-square foot 19th-century immigrant home and moved it to its property, where it was restored and furnished in the style of 1880s/1890s.
From 1983 the museum began to employ staff, and during the 1980s gained additional artifacts and financial contributions from Czech and Slovak American
s. The museum adopted its current name during this period. By the 1990s, the museum and library were outgrowing its space, and plans for a new facility began, with an architect creating plans for a new 16000 square feet (1,486.4 m²) building. Fundraising for the new facility began during this time. On October 28, 1993, groundbreaking
took place for the new building. On October 21, 1995, the building was dedicated, with U.S. President Bill Clinton
, Czech Republic
President Václav Havel
, the Slovakia
President Michal Kováč
presided over the ceremony. Some 7,000 people attended the dedication event.
On May 24, 1997, the NCSML opened an international exhibit, "A Thousand Years of Czech Culture: Riches from the National Museum in Prague," which centered on artifacts on loan from the National Museum
in Prague
. The museum stated that the exhibit attracted more than 30,000 visitors from around the U.S. and 22 countries. In 1998, a permanent exhibit, "Homelands: The Story of the Czech and Slovak People," opened. In 1999, the museum hosted its history and culture conference for the first time.
In 2000, the museum underwent significant renovations and remodeling, including the addition of secure and climate-controlled storage facilities and a new venue for temporary exhibits, created by dividing the social/rental hall. In the same year, the library's collection doubled with the acquisition of the Slavic language collection from Benedictine University
, and the museum and library began publishing Slovo, a history and culture academic journal
.
In subsequent years, the museum continued to grow its collections, membership, and events schedule. In 2001, the museum began planning to acquire additional property for a research and performing arts center, and began a fundraising campaign to build its endowment
to $5 million by 2005. The NCSML stated that its membership in 2002 was above 1,900 people. In 2002, the museum and library opened an "Kroje—Dress for the Dance of Life!," an exhibit on Kroje
which ran until January 19, 2003. The museum also hosted the annual meetings of the Czech Glass Collectors Guild and the Czech-Slovak Genealogical Society International during this time.
, the Cedar River overflowed its banks, flooding the museum and library with eight feet of water and causing severe damage to the exhibitions and contents. The damage was variously valued at $8 million or $9 million. The flood occurred just days before the museum was scheduled to reveal its choice among four proposals for a tripling in the size of the facility.
Museum staff were able to remove two trucks full of museum and library material before the flood. Fine art
and folklore
artifacts were prioritized for removal. Two exhibits were destroyed in the flood, including one about the Prague Spring
in 1968 and the subsequent invasion of Czechoslovakia
. In the immediate aftermath of the flood, artifacts were removed from the building's upper levels, which were not reached by floodwaters, and flood-damaged items were removed for restoration efforts, with some library books sent to Chicago
to be freeze-dried and restored. The Chicago Conservation Center assisted by providing expert help in efforts to save textile
s and linen
s.
At the time of the 2008 flood the museum was visited by about 35,000 people each year, with an annual economic impact of $1 million. The library held an estimated 30,000 Slovak and Slovak-related items in its library, two-thirds of which are stored off-site and were not effected by flood damage. Around 40 percent of the museum's artifacts are Slovak. The museum holds the largest collection of kroje
outside Slovakia and the Czech Republic, with the oldest pieces dating to the 16th century.
During the flood the NCSML's entire collection of 5,000 phonograph
records
, documenting 80 years of recorded Czech and Slovak music, were damaged. The University of Iowa
Libraries Preservation Department were able to repair and restore most of the records.
After the flood, a temporary facility was opened at Lindale Mall
. The museum's temporary home was moved in April 2010 to the Kosek Building at 87 Sixteenth Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids, built in 1910. The interim space, including a gallery and museum gift shop
was opened. An exhibition, "Rising Above: The Story of the People and the Flood" also opened at that time. The exhibit focuses on the 2008 flood, comparing it to the previous floods of 1929 and 1993, and includes materials from the NCSML's Flood Oral History Project, an oral history
project of the personal accounts of flood victims. The exhibit tells the story of the flood in conjunction with the history of Cedar Rapids, the Czech Village, and New Bohemia. The Museum plans to remain at the Kosek Building until the rebuilt structure is opened during the summer of 2012. However, the Kosek Building will continue to be a part of the Museum and Library even after the main campus is rebuilt, with plans for restoration of the historic Kosek building for new exhibition, program, and administrative space, restoration of the museum's historic homes, and a new, permanent exhibition in the new exhibition center and library. The City of Cedar Rapids completed a development agreement with the Museum and Library to further the project.
The Iowa General Assembly
set aside $10 million to help the museum and library rebuild. In October 2008 the Czech ambassador presented a $405,000 donation from the Czech Republic for reconstruction efforts.
The flood damage caused the museum property to have difficulty obtaining insurance
and exhibitions with materials on loan from other museums because of a fear of another flood. The museum decided to move and expand the museum to higher ground, rather than demolishing the original building, because the cost to move the 15-year-old building was $713,000, compared to an estimated $2 million to demolish and rebuild the structure. Despite the flood damage, the building remained structurally sound. The museum also stated that it wanted to preserve the original building for its historic value and avoid creating unnecessary landfill
waste.
The new rebuilt facility upon a new foundation on higher ground is being constructed about 100 yards from the original site. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on December 15, 2010. On June 8–9, 2011, the Museum and Library, weighing around 1500 tons (3 million pounds) and constructed of a wood frame with brick
veneer
, was moved to the new site. The building new site is 11 feet (3.4 m) higher than the previous site and three feet above the 2008 flood level. The museum dubbed the event "A Monumental Move" and set up a webcam
for viewers to watch the move; the City of Cedar Rapids also shut down 16th Avenue SW, including the Bridge of Lions, so local residents could watch. The museum's contractor for the job, Jeremy Patterson Structural Moving, stated that this was "the largest museum ever relocated for flood hazard mitigation, and probably the only museum ever elevated."
In addition to moving the first building to a new location, the rebuilt facility will be significantly expanded, to a total of 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) including "larger permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, an expanded research library, educational programming space, a new museum store, collection storage and work space." Construction of new additions is taking place in 2011, with an opening date in 2012. The new facility will be LEED
-certified and will include a new 5500 square feet (511 m²) library and archives, 55-seat theater, three galleries, public and educational programming space for up to 400 people, underground parking for 65 vehicles, a terrace
with a view of the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids skyline
, and outdoor amphitheater. The rebuilding and recovery costs are estimated to be $25 million.
The NCSML was accredited by the American Association of Museums
in November 2008. In 2010, the museum launched a capital campaign with a goal of raising $25 million to establish the Kosek Building as part of the NCSML's permanent collection, renovate The Immigrant Home and the Babi Buresh Center historic homes for tour, design and install a new permanent exhibition, recovery money spent by the museum and library on disaster cleanup; and grow the endowment to pay for operating expense
s. The NCSML stated that following the museum's reopening, an estimated 54,000 visitors will visit annually and the economic impact on the Cedar Rapids area will be over $1.1 million.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
and library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
of Czech and Slovak
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
history and culture located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Established in 1974, the museum and library moved to its present site in 1983. The museum was severely affected by the Iowa flood of 2008
Iowa flood of 2008
The Iowa flood of 2008 was a hydrological event involving most of the rivers in eastern Iowa beginning around June 8, 2008 and ending about July 1. Flooding continued on the Upper Mississippi River in the southeastern portion of the state for several more days...
. The NCSML is currently housed in temporary space until rebuilding and expansion efforts are completed in 2012.
History until the 2008 flood
In 1974, several second and third-generation Czech AmericanCzech American
Czech Americans are citizens of the United States who were born in, or who descended from, the territory of the historic Czech lands, , or succession states, now known as the Czech Republic...
s in the Cedar Rapids area founded the Czech Fine Arts Foundation to preserve Czech heritage and culture. In 1978, the group's growing collection of artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
and documents caused them to open a Czech Museum in a three-room house, where the museum attracted additional materials and volunteers. In 1981, the collections were moved to a new building on the museum's current site with the goal of permanent public display. In 1983, the group acquired a 2,200-square foot 19th-century immigrant home and moved it to its property, where it was restored and furnished in the style of 1880s/1890s.
From 1983 the museum began to employ staff, and during the 1980s gained additional artifacts and financial contributions from Czech and Slovak American
Slovak American
Slovak Americans are Americans of Slovak descent. In the 1990 Census Slovak Americans made up the second-largest portion of Slavic ethnic groups. There are currently about 790,000 people of Slovak descent living in the United States. -Eighteenth century:...
s. The museum adopted its current name during this period. By the 1990s, the museum and library were outgrowing its space, and plans for a new facility began, with an architect creating plans for a new 16000 square feet (1,486.4 m²) building. Fundraising for the new facility began during this time. On October 28, 1993, groundbreaking
Groundbreaking
Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and...
took place for the new building. On October 21, 1995, the building was dedicated, with U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
President Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
, the Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
President Michal Kováč
Michal Kovác
Michal Kováč was a Slovak politician in the early 1990s and the first President of Slovakia after the creation of that state from 1993 to 1998....
presided over the ceremony. Some 7,000 people attended the dedication event.
On May 24, 1997, the NCSML opened an international exhibit, "A Thousand Years of Czech Culture: Riches from the National Museum in Prague," which centered on artifacts on loan from the National Museum
National Museum (Prague)
The National museum is a Czech museum institution intended to systematically establish, prepare and publicly exhibit natural scientific and historical collections. It was founded 1818 in Prague by Kašpar Maria Šternberg...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. The museum stated that the exhibit attracted more than 30,000 visitors from around the U.S. and 22 countries. In 1998, a permanent exhibit, "Homelands: The Story of the Czech and Slovak People," opened. In 1999, the museum hosted its history and culture conference for the first time.
In 2000, the museum underwent significant renovations and remodeling, including the addition of secure and climate-controlled storage facilities and a new venue for temporary exhibits, created by dividing the social/rental hall. In the same year, the library's collection doubled with the acquisition of the Slavic language collection from Benedictine University
Benedictine University
Benedictine University is a private Catholic university located in Lisle, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The institution has retained close relations with the Benedictine Order. Originally named St. Procopius College and located in the Pilsen community of Chicago, the school was founded in 1887 by...
, and the museum and library began publishing Slovo, a history and culture academic journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
.
In subsequent years, the museum continued to grow its collections, membership, and events schedule. In 2001, the museum began planning to acquire additional property for a research and performing arts center, and began a fundraising campaign to build its endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
to $5 million by 2005. The NCSML stated that its membership in 2002 was above 1,900 people. In 2002, the museum and library opened an "Kroje—Dress for the Dance of Life!," an exhibit on Kroje
Kroje
Kroje are folk costumes worn by Czechs and Slovaks. Gothic influence is seen in tying shawls and kerchiefs on the head. Fine pleats and gathered lace collars typify the Renaissance era...
which ran until January 19, 2003. The museum also hosted the annual meetings of the Czech Glass Collectors Guild and the Czech-Slovak Genealogical Society International during this time.
2008 flood and rebuilding
During the Iowa flood of 2008Iowa flood of 2008
The Iowa flood of 2008 was a hydrological event involving most of the rivers in eastern Iowa beginning around June 8, 2008 and ending about July 1. Flooding continued on the Upper Mississippi River in the southeastern portion of the state for several more days...
, the Cedar River overflowed its banks, flooding the museum and library with eight feet of water and causing severe damage to the exhibitions and contents. The damage was variously valued at $8 million or $9 million. The flood occurred just days before the museum was scheduled to reveal its choice among four proposals for a tripling in the size of the facility.
Museum staff were able to remove two trucks full of museum and library material before the flood. Fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
and folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
artifacts were prioritized for removal. Two exhibits were destroyed in the flood, including one about the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
in 1968 and the subsequent invasion of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
. In the immediate aftermath of the flood, artifacts were removed from the building's upper levels, which were not reached by floodwaters, and flood-damaged items were removed for restoration efforts, with some library books sent to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to be freeze-dried and restored. The Chicago Conservation Center assisted by providing expert help in efforts to save textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
s and linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
s.
At the time of the 2008 flood the museum was visited by about 35,000 people each year, with an annual economic impact of $1 million. The library held an estimated 30,000 Slovak and Slovak-related items in its library, two-thirds of which are stored off-site and were not effected by flood damage. Around 40 percent of the museum's artifacts are Slovak. The museum holds the largest collection of kroje
Kroje
Kroje are folk costumes worn by Czechs and Slovaks. Gothic influence is seen in tying shawls and kerchiefs on the head. Fine pleats and gathered lace collars typify the Renaissance era...
outside Slovakia and the Czech Republic, with the oldest pieces dating to the 16th century.
During the flood the NCSML's entire collection of 5,000 phonograph
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, documenting 80 years of recorded Czech and Slovak music, were damaged. The University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
Libraries Preservation Department were able to repair and restore most of the records.
After the flood, a temporary facility was opened at Lindale Mall
Lindale Mall
Lindale Mall is an enclosed regional shopping mall on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.Lindale is anchored by Sears, Von Maur, and Younkers...
. The museum's temporary home was moved in April 2010 to the Kosek Building at 87 Sixteenth Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids, built in 1910. The interim space, including a gallery and museum gift shop
Gift shop
A gift shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collections and other souvenirs....
was opened. An exhibition, "Rising Above: The Story of the People and the Flood" also opened at that time. The exhibit focuses on the 2008 flood, comparing it to the previous floods of 1929 and 1993, and includes materials from the NCSML's Flood Oral History Project, an oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
project of the personal accounts of flood victims. The exhibit tells the story of the flood in conjunction with the history of Cedar Rapids, the Czech Village, and New Bohemia. The Museum plans to remain at the Kosek Building until the rebuilt structure is opened during the summer of 2012. However, the Kosek Building will continue to be a part of the Museum and Library even after the main campus is rebuilt, with plans for restoration of the historic Kosek building for new exhibition, program, and administrative space, restoration of the museum's historic homes, and a new, permanent exhibition in the new exhibition center and library. The City of Cedar Rapids completed a development agreement with the Museum and Library to further the project.
The Iowa General Assembly
Iowa General Assembly
The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Representatives respectively...
set aside $10 million to help the museum and library rebuild. In October 2008 the Czech ambassador presented a $405,000 donation from the Czech Republic for reconstruction efforts.
The flood damage caused the museum property to have difficulty obtaining insurance
Property insurance
Property insurance provides protection against most risks to property, such as fire, theft and some weather damage. This includes specialized forms of insurance such as fire insurance, flood insurance, earthquake insurance, home insurance or boiler insurance. Property is insured in two main...
and exhibitions with materials on loan from other museums because of a fear of another flood. The museum decided to move and expand the museum to higher ground, rather than demolishing the original building, because the cost to move the 15-year-old building was $713,000, compared to an estimated $2 million to demolish and rebuild the structure. Despite the flood damage, the building remained structurally sound. The museum also stated that it wanted to preserve the original building for its historic value and avoid creating unnecessary landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
waste.
The new rebuilt facility upon a new foundation on higher ground is being constructed about 100 yards from the original site. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on December 15, 2010. On June 8–9, 2011, the Museum and Library, weighing around 1500 tons (3 million pounds) and constructed of a wood frame with brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
veneer
Masonry Veneer
Masonry veneer walls consist of a single non-structural external layer of masonry work, typically brick, backed by an air space. The innermost element is usually structural, and may consist of wood or metal framing or masonry...
, was moved to the new site. The building new site is 11 feet (3.4 m) higher than the previous site and three feet above the 2008 flood level. The museum dubbed the event "A Monumental Move" and set up a webcam
Webcam
A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...
for viewers to watch the move; the City of Cedar Rapids also shut down 16th Avenue SW, including the Bridge of Lions, so local residents could watch. The museum's contractor for the job, Jeremy Patterson Structural Moving, stated that this was "the largest museum ever relocated for flood hazard mitigation, and probably the only museum ever elevated."
In addition to moving the first building to a new location, the rebuilt facility will be significantly expanded, to a total of 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) including "larger permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, an expanded research library, educational programming space, a new museum store, collection storage and work space." Construction of new additions is taking place in 2011, with an opening date in 2012. The new facility will be LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
-certified and will include a new 5500 square feet (511 m²) library and archives, 55-seat theater, three galleries, public and educational programming space for up to 400 people, underground parking for 65 vehicles, a terrace
Terrace (building)
A terrace is an outdoor, occupiable extension of a building above ground level. Although its physical characteristics may vary to a great degree, a terrace will generally be larger than a balcony and will have an "open-top" facing the sky...
with a view of the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids skyline
Skyline
A skyline is the overall or partial view of a city's tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background. It can also be described as the artificial horizon that a city's overall structure creates. Skylines serve as a kind of fingerprint of a city, as...
, and outdoor amphitheater. The rebuilding and recovery costs are estimated to be $25 million.
The NCSML was accredited by the American Association of Museums
American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
in November 2008. In 2010, the museum launched a capital campaign with a goal of raising $25 million to establish the Kosek Building as part of the NCSML's permanent collection, renovate The Immigrant Home and the Babi Buresh Center historic homes for tour, design and install a new permanent exhibition, recovery money spent by the museum and library on disaster cleanup; and grow the endowment to pay for operating expense
Operating expense
An operating expense, operating expenditure, operational expense, operational expenditure or OPEX is an ongoing cost for running a product, business, or system . Its counterpart, a capital expenditure , is the cost of developing or providing non-consumable parts for the product or system...
s. The NCSML stated that following the museum's reopening, an estimated 54,000 visitors will visit annually and the economic impact on the Cedar Rapids area will be over $1.1 million.