The Marietta Museum of History will soon have more space that will give it needed visibility. The museum’s landlord, the Downtown Marietta Development Authority, signed a new lease Thursday giving the museum access to the first floor of the Kennesaw House a block west of the Marietta Square.
The museum board signed the 10-year lease Tuesday. The rent is $45,000 a year, a $4,400 annual increase for the added space. The museum will also pay utilities, taxes and insurance.
The museum holds a collection of long-time Marietta residents’ treasures and artifacts. It has occupied the top two floors of the historic building since 1994.
Dan Cox, the museum’s CEO and founding director, said the place is hard to find and potential patrons often get lost and turn away. Close to 11,000 people toured the museum last year.
Cox said the tucked-away location became a bigger problem after Marietta cut $50,000 from the museum’s $184,000 budget this year. The museum has support from donations and fund-raisers, but most of its money comes from Marietta’s portion of the state’s one percent care rental excise tax.
Part of the museum's new space will be used for an expansion of its gift shop. Director Jan Galt Russell said display windows should also help to attract more tourists.
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