>> IF YOU'VE BEEN BUY THE CHRYSLER IN THE LAST COUPLE
WEEKS, YOU WILL NOTICE QUITE A NUMBER OF CONSTRUCTION FENCE
GOING UP AROUND THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING AND THAT'S THE FIRST
STEP IN A VERY MAJOR EXPANSION AND RENOVATION.
>> THAT $24 MILLION EXPANSION AND RENOVATION OF THE CHRYSLER
MUSEUM IS COMPLEX, BUT THE REASONING BEHIND IT IS SIMPLE.
>> WE HAVE OVER 30,000 OBJECTS IN OUR COLLECTION HERE.
THE PROBLEM IS, WE'RE OUT OF GALLERY SPACE.
WE HAVEN'T GOT THE SPACE TO SHOW THEM, SO WE'RE GOING TO BE
CREATING THREE VERY NICE NEW SPACES, NEW GALLERIES, ABOUT
8500 SQUARE FEET, GRAND-NEW GALLERY SPACE, SO LET US GET
MORE OF THE COLLECTION THAT'S IN STORAGE NOW OUT AND ON VIEW.
>> AND MAKE THEM EASIER TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND, ESPECIALLY THE
CHRYSLER'S GLASS COLLECTION. >> AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH, THE
STARTING POINT HAS BEEN THE QUESTIONS THAT VISITORS ASK US
ABOUT THE OBJECTS ON DISPLAY. SO THERE WILL BE LESS GLASS ON
DISPLAY, IT WILL BE GROUPED SO IT REALLY DOES TELL A STORY, AND
WILL BE TELLING PEOPLE THE THINGS ABOUT THE GLASS THAT THEY
WANT TO KNOW SO THEY CAN UNDERSTAND HOW REALLY NIFTY IT
IS. >> AND IT'S ANCIENT WORLD
GALLERIES, INCLUDING A SECTION THAT IS CURRENTLY BURIED SO DEEP
WITHIN THE MUSEUM, MANY FOLKS DON'T EVEN KNOW IT EXISTS.
>> IN ORDER TO FIND THIS GALLERY, YOU REALLY NEED TO
ACTIVATE YOUR GPS, THE ONLY WAY YOU FIND YOUR WAY BACK HERE, BUT
WHEN YOU GET HERE, WHAT A TREASURE TROPHY.
A COUPLE OF THOUSAND OF OBJECTS, ALL TO HELP YOU EXPLORE THE
WORLD OF THE AZTECS AND THE MAYAS AND TOO A SLIGHTLY LESSER
DEGREE, THE INCAS OF SOUTH AMERICA.
GREAT SURROUNDINGS, GREAT STONE WORK, FABULOUS THINGS DONE OF
BEADS AND FEATHERS, A WONDERFUL WINDOW OF THIS EXTRAORDINARY
WORLD THAT EXISTED HERE BEFORE EUROPEANS ARRIVED.
THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST ROOMS YOU WILL ENCOUNTER IN THE
ANCIENT WORLD SECTION AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE EASILY AND
SEQUENTIALLY FROM ONE CIVILIZATION TO THE OTHER
WITHOUT RUNNING INTO A DEAD END. >> IN ADDITION TO THE ANCIENT
WORLD AND GLASS GALLERIES, FIRST NOR RENOVATIONS INCLUDE A NEW
CAFE AND CATERING KITCHEN, A RELOCATED ELEVATOR AS WELL AS A
NEW AND IMPROVED FRONT TO THE MUSEUM, MAKING THE ENTRANCE MORE
HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE. SECOND FLOOR RENOVATIONS INCLUDE
NEW GALLERIES FOR AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN PAINTINGS AND BIGGER
SPACES FOR CONTEMPORARY ART. HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING
WILL ALSO BE RENOVATED TO BET PRESERVE THE COLLECTIONS AND
REDUCE THE MUSEUM'S ENERGY COSTS.
>> THE RENOVATIONS WILL CAUSE THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM TO CLOSE FOR
ABOUT 14 MONTHS BEGINNING IN JANUARY OF '13.
EVEN THOUGH YOU ONE BE AN I BELIEVE TO GET IN THE MUSEUM TO
SEE THE ARTIFACTS, THE ARTIFACTS WILL COME TO YOU.
>> WE'LL HAVE A STORE FRONT IN McARTHUR CENTER THAT WILL BE
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. WE RETHINKING OUR TWO HISTORIC
HOUSES DOWNTOWN. THE WILLOUGHBY BAYLOR HOUSE,
INSTALLED AS A MINI MUSEUM. WE'RE DOING PARTNERSHIPS WITH
THE GALLERY AT OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY AND PEOPLE CAN FIND
THE CHRYSLER ALL OVER THE PLACE. >> THE ESTIMATED PROJECT
COMPLETION DATE IS EARLY 2014. >> I THINK PEOPLE WILL DISCOVER
THAT THEIR MUSEUM LOOKS A LOT LIKE IT ALWAYS HAS, BUT WHEN
THEY COME INSIDE, THEY'RE GOING TO DISCOVER THAT THERE'S MORE
SPACE AND THAT THAT SPACE IS BETTER ARRANGED AND THEY CAN
MOVE MORE EASILY THROUGH THE BUILDING AND THAT THE ART LOOKS
MORE INTERESTING THAN IT EVER HAS BEFORE.
>> FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE MUSEUM, JUST LOG ON TO
WWW.CHRYSLER.ORG. FOR NORFOLK NEWS NOW, I'M JOHN
LINKA.
