Lease Extended for The New Children’s Museum of West Hartford

The following is a press release.

The New Children’s Museum and Kingswood Oxford School announced the organizations reached an agreement to extend the museum’s lease at Trout Brook Drive in West Hartford for four years through June 30, 2017, with an option to renew through June 2018 upon mutual agreement.

The lease extension allows time for the museum to raise necessary funds to design and build a 21st century institution at a new location.

“As one might imagine, relocating a beloved community-based organization of this grand scale has many complex moving parts,” said Robert R. Griesmer, president and chief executive officer of The New Children’s Museum. “We appreciate having the ability to plan and execute the move from a stable environment.”

The New Children’s Museum is in the midst of a strategic and master planning process to build a new institution that supports parents and teachers as they encourage children to become critical thinking problem-solving lifelong learners.

“I am fully committed to making sure The New Children’s Museum resides in its new location by June 30, 2017,” said Griesmer. “As demonstrated by our fascinating summer live butterfly exhibit, the Museum will emerge from this metamorphosis like a caterpillar that becomes the beautiful butterfly. Until then, we will embrace and properly plan for the changes in store.”

“We are extremely pleased to reach a mutually satisfactory solution with Kingswood Oxford School,” said Rick Liftig, Chairman of the Board of the Museum.  “We are grateful for the agreement during our time of transition.”

Founded in 1927 as a one-room natural history museum in The Pond House at Elizabeth Park in Hartford, The New Children’s Museum is the fifth oldest children’s museum in the nation having moved to its current location in 1958.

The New Children’s Museum features over 100 live animals, including the now famous Fennec foxes, hands-on science exhibits, out-of-this-world digital planetarium shows, and programs for younger children and families. The New Children’s Museum and Roaring Brook Nature Center are the region’s premiere destinations for science and nature exploration.

The New Children’s Museum is located at 950 Trout Brook Drive in West Hartford and at Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton. More information is available at www.TheChildrensMuseumCT.org.