May 26, 2015

Halifax's Pier 21 Museum Reopens

The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax, NS, has reopened to the public after an extensive six-month renovation. Closed since October, the renovations are part of a $30 million expansion that will see exhibition space almost double. The official re-opening ceremony took place on June 25, 2015.

One of the exhibits is an interactive view of an ocean liner in the era of immigration. It shows the difference between first class and tourist class place settings. The museum wants to bring the period of 1928 to 1971 alive, a time when Pier 21 was the main entry point for more than a million people. Other exhibits include a train car that took people from Halifax to the rest of Canada, the cramped cabin of an ocean liner and a packed crate like the type Dutch immigrants used to bring over their entire households — including the kitchen sink.

Lord Cultural Resources was selected to assist the Museum with the expansion project. Our firm led the interpretive planning process, managed the design and fabrication of the new permanent exhibition, and led the content development process for 20,000 square feet of new exhibitions. We provided the architects with the systems and standards required to ensure that all display spaces met the museum standards for environmental controls.

Watch the videos from the re-opening and about Pier21.