Rochester Hills Museum Receives Grant to Rebuild Equipment Barn

Rochester Hills Museum Receives $50,000 State Grant to Support Rebuild of Equipment Barn

Rochester Hills Museum Equipment Barn

The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm has received a $50,000 grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs to support the rebuilding of the Equipment Barn on the Museum site. According to Museum Manger Patrick McKay, “The Equipment Barn was built in the early 1900s and provided support for the Van Hoosen Farm operation by storing milk trucks and farm supplies. We will use it the same way – the lower level will house farm items for public display and the upper level will store items to support the Museum’s busy program operations. This Barn will also allow the Museum to open two original buildings on the farm to the public for tours. Both the Milk House and Bull Barn are currently used for storage.”

Artist Rendition of future Equipment Barn

According to Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett, “Our City is committed to preserving and celebrating our past as much as we are excited about our future. This building will help us tell the story of our community and the incredible Van Hoosen women that shaped our past.”

The Rochester Hills Museum welcomes over 60,000 guests per year and provides local history exhibits, educational and cultural programming, and serves as a site to host private events such as weddings, receptions, birthday parties, and more. Numerous community service clubs utilize the Museum space and the Museum archives has an extensive collection of local history artifacts and archival papers. Construction will begin this summer with completion in early 2021.