The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum Celebrates Renovation and Reopening

The Board of Trustees of the Boca Raton Historical Society celebrated the $3-million renovation and official re-opening of The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum last weekend with three days of special preview weekend events for friends and supporters of every age.

Following a complete top-to-bottom reimagination, redesign and renovation the museum's, Executive Director Mary Csar and members of the Board welcomed several hundred guests over the preview weekend including elected officials (Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer and the entire City Council-Yvette Drucker, Monica Mayotte, Andrea Levine O'Rourke, Andy Thomson-plus Palm Beach County Commissioner Robert Weinroth), major donors (Barbara Schmidt, Christine Lynn, Ann & Peter Vegso), business and community leaders, special friends and many more.

One major highlight of the preview weekend was when Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer shared a couple of short stories about the city's history with a group of interested children assembled on the museum's entry steps.

The preview attendees also enjoyed visiting the museum's exciting new exhibits, all under the banner of History Alive!, including:

· Boca Raton Timeline, starting with the earliest Pre-Columbian inhabitants up to the 21st Century-sponsored by Barbara & Bobby Campbell.

· Pioneer Gallery, focused on the local heritage of a small farming community-sponsored by the Vegso Family Foundation.

· Addison Mizner Gallery, featuring the museum's important collection of Mizner Industries and architectural drawings and images of the great architect's plans, which put the tiny town of Boca Raton on the map in the 1920s-sponsored by Christine E. Lynn, E.M. Lynn Foundation.

· World War II Gallery, when the Boca Raton Army Airfield served as the Air Corps' top secret radar training facility-sponsored by the Roberti Family Foundation.

· IBM Gallery, celebrating Boca Raton as the home of the IBM PC personal computer.

The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum is the home of the Boca Raton Historical Society, whose mission is to collect, preserve, and present information and artifacts relevant to the past and evolving history of Boca Raton and to maintain a visible role in the education and the advocacy of historic preservation in the community.

Now open to the public Wednesday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm, the museum is located in Historic Town Hall at 71 N. Federal Highway in downtown Boca Raton (33432). For more information, please call 561.395.6766 or visit www.BocaHistory.org.

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