<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4epH7L_0vkNiLZ600" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4epH7L_0vkNiLZ600" width="1685" height="1230" ><figcaption>The Virginia Quilt Museum recently moved from downtown Harrisonburg to Dayton due to a heating and air conditioning issue. Rowan Potts | The Breeze</figcaption></figure>If you’re looking for the Harrisonburg-staple Virginia Quilt Museum, you’ll notice it’s no longer in its downtown location and is instead located in a quaint renovated mill house surrounded by water and flora.The Virginia Quilt Museum, which was in its previous building from 1995 to now, relocated to Dayton this summer due to issues with the old building’s HVAC system.After one of the air conditioning units broke in October 2023, conversations with contractors about revamping the entire HVAC system made it apparent that relocating would be the museum’s best option. Additionally, the old building had wheel-chair accessibility issues, along with needing a new roof.The museum’s executive director, Alicia Thomas, said the HVAC replacement’s price was close to its annual operating budget, which was why the museum decided to move its operations to the Silver Lake Mill.“This whole process started a little bit back in November of 2023, but, really, serious talks started [in] late January, early February of this year,” Thomas said.The mill is located in a comparatively more rural section of Rockingham County. It’s surrounded by acres of farmland and a lake. The building was an event venue and continues to be an important part of the community’s history.The new building offers larger rooms and taller ceilings, providing room for more quilts to be hung and displayed on walls. Contrarily, the old building in Harrisonburg had radiators and windows that the museum found difficult to work around, Thomas said.Museum owner Cheryl Lyon said this new site also offers increased accessibility. Lyon paid for an accessible ramp and ADA-compliant lift to be installed into the new location.“[Lyon] is very much a person who likes history and museums and culture, so she was really willing to work with us and put some of her own money into the building to make it what we needed,” Thomas said.In addition, visitors have a new experience viewing exhibits. All of the quilts have to be hung at least five inches away from the walls, since the structure is largely wood — which isn’t suitable for the fabric. This allows visitors to peek behind the quilts and see the stitching.“They can see the back of the quilts now, whereas before, almost everything was up against a wall,” Thomas said, adding that nearly all the quilts expose the backs now, which can reveal several intricacies of the art. “Visitors have really been liking that.” By the end of September, the Virginia Quilt Museum will relinquish ownership of the older building, and it’s already fully moved into the Silver Lake Mill. Thomas called the transition a quick turnaround since the decision to relocate was made within this past year.“Making big changes is scary,” Thomas said. “This is not something when I took this job three years ago that I was like, ‘Oh, we’re going to move this museum.’”Harrisonburg community members also helped with the relocation.Quilt Museum board member Beverly Evans was the one who showed Thomas the new location — and also and gave her staff to help move the artwork.“[Beverly] sent [her] staff that is used to packing up and dealing with antiques to actually put our stubs in vans and move it over, and Beverly was right there packing stuff with us,” Thomas said.Despite moving away from downtown Harrisonburg, Thomas said the museum continues to see the same amount of visitors — many of whom come specifically for the museum. It’s hoping to continue to see an uptick of visitors during events such as JMU Family Weekend.“One of the things I’m also curious to see is how we used to be really dead on Saturdays when there were JMU football games, because people don’t come to town unless they’re going to the football game,” Thomas said.She said since the museum is no longer located downtown, parking is more readily available, which may allow for more visitors in Dayton during JMU game days when parking is full in downtown Harrisonburg.Thomas said so far the move has only been good for the museum. As it moved into Rockingham County and away from Harrisonburg, new opportunities arose with the county’s non-profit tourism company, Rocktown History. Its director, Penny Imeson, said the organization is collaborating with the Virginia Quilt Museum on an audio-visual experience, which is part of a larger project titled “Experience Historic Dayton.” “You’ll be able to stand in front of a home or a building and hear a narration of somebody who worked or lived there and see images,” Imeson said. The Virginia Quilt Museum was previously neighbors with Harrisonburg Tourism, with which it worked very closely. Despite moving out of Harrisonburg, the Quilt Museum will still be connected to the city due to frequent collaboration between the local tourism organizations: Harrisonburg Tourism, Rocktown History and Fort Harrison. Still, Harrisonburg Tourism Manager Jennifer Bell said Harrisonburg Tourism looks to fill the empty space with a new tourist attraction.“Of course I’m disappointed to have them further away,” Bell said. “But it makes sense for them, and they’re a great museum and the space they’re located is just beautiful.”</div></body>

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Virginia Quilt Museum relocates to Dayton, Virginia

If you’re looking for the Harrisonburg-staple Virginia Quilt Museum, you’ll notice it’s no longer in its downtown location and is instead located in a quaint renovated mill house surrounded by water and flora. The Virginia Quilt Museum, which was in its previous building from 1995 to now,...