Art Guild President Examines Situation At Future Location (Old Museum Building)

Carolyn Bach, president of the Ste. Genevieve Art Guild, visited with the Ste. Genevieve County Commission during its meeting last Thursday to discuss the guild’s move into the former museum building on the Courthouse Square.

The Ste. Genevieve Museum Learning Center is expected to open this year at its new location in the old Koetting building on Market Street, but it has not been able to remove all of its belongings from the old museum building.

Bach said she was changing the wording of the lease from commencing “the 31st of May” to “the 31st of May or when vacant.”

The art guild will move into the building as soon as practical and will set up an art museum and gallery.

She and the commissioners walked through the 1933 rock building to discuss problems that will need to be addressed. That included what appears to be mold high on one wall and the stain from an old roof leak on another. The spot did not appear to be wet from the rains earlier that week.

Several glass and wood display cases line the main room of the building. Most are unattached to the walls.

Neither the museum nor the art guild wants to keep them. Anyone interested in taking them should contact Nelson at the courthouse.

The building was built in preparation for the city of Ste. Genevieve’s 1935 bicentennial celebration. The Ste. Genevieve Chamber of Commerce owned the building and leased property from the county before transferring the building to the county. The building housed the Ste. Genevieve Museum until December 2018.

Nelson expressed pleasure that the building will be used for a purpose closer to its original intent rather than excess courthouse record storage or office space, as had been discussed.

“I think it’s really going to be a plus to the downtown area,” Nelson told Bach.

See complete story on the County Commission in the May 22 edition of the Herald.

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