October 20, 2015

Holocaust Center has new home in Belltown

Photo courtesy of Holocaust Center for Humanity [enlarge]

Seattle's Holocaust Center for Humanity has been around since 1989, serving as a resource center for teachers. Now it's a museum, too.

A new home for the center opened Sunday in a 6,000-square-foot space at 2045 Second Ave. in Belltown.

It houses a library, offices, conference area and a 2,000-square-foot museum. The focus is on sharing stories and artifacts from local Holocaust survivors. Exhibits will take visitors from pre-war Europe to post-war liberation.

Via Architecture designed the $3.4 million project. GLY Construction was the general contractor. Olson Kundig designed the exhibit space, and Pacific Studios fabricated exhibits.

This will allow the center to expand its support for teachers and students, and have space for public speakers as well as traveling exhibits.

“Addressing complicated contemporary issues from bullying at school to hate crimes and genocide is what makes the Holocaust Center and our new museum and education center a unique resource for the region,” said Dee Simon, the executive director, in a statement.

The museum opens with a traveling exhibition on loan from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum in Poland. Objects include a suitcase, shoes, eye glasses, a child's mug and a toothbrush.

The center expects 15,000 visitors in the first year. Opening events are scheduled for Oct. 21 and 25.

Entry is free, but a $5-$10 donation is suggested. Reserve admission online at http://www.holocaustcenterseattle.org.