Metropolitan King County Councilmembers Reagan Dunn and Dave Upthegrove announced Monday the Renton Historical Society will receive a $20,500 capital improvement grant to help fund the renovation of the Renton Historical Museum lobby.

The museum is home to a collection of over 15,000 photographs and over 90,000 objects spanning all periods of Renton’s past while also offering a small public research library.

“Supporting the Renton Historical Society helps ensure continued education, service, and local pride for the residents of Renton,” Dunn, who represents parts of Renton in the King County Council, said in a press release. “This renovation will allow even more access to the important resources offered at the museum.”

“Renton has a rich history and an important story to share,” said Upthegrove. “I’m proud to support this project and look forward to visiting the new lobby when it is completed.”

“We are very pleased to receive this award,” said Renton Mayor Denis Law. “Thanks to this funding we will be able to renovate the lobby at our museum, providing a welcoming entrance and safe access for people with disabilities and creating a more visitor-friendly introduction to Renton’s history. The Renton Historical Society is the city’s only heritage organization and we are dedicated to creating exhibits, programs, and events that showcase our impressive cultural legacy.”

The grant was awarded through the Building for Culture program, a partnership between King County and 4Culture, King County’s cultural services agency. The program is funded using bonds backed by the hotel/motel tax to build, maintain, expand, preserve, and improve new and existing cultural facilities.

“The Building for Culture funds granted to the Renton Historical Society will enable us to complete a long-awaited museum lobby renovation at the Renton History Museum,” said Elizabeth Stewart, Renton Historical Society Director. “With the help of the King County Council, 4Culture, and the City of Renton, our thirty-year old lobby will be a more welcoming introduction to Renton’s rich heritage.”

The bonds supporting these projects are made possible by early retirement of the Kingdome debt and after this year hotel-motel tax revenues directed to arts and cultural programs.

-From a press release