Houston Museum undergoes rennovations

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Downtown Chattanooga’s Houston Museum believes 2024 is the year for a renovation. 

“The renovation is so exciting. We’ve been working on this for quite some time,” said Ane Rankin, Houston Museum. 

In 1961, The Houston Museum opened its doors.   

The name comes from the legacy of the late Anna Safely Houston. 

Ane Rankin with the Houston Museum says the museum was a dream of Anna’s. 

“She really wanted it to be a teaching and learning museum so that people can appreciate the craftsmanship,” said Rankin. 

According to The Houston Museum, they house more than 20,000 antiques. 

Much of those works of art, decorative glass, paintings and even antiques from Anna Safely Houston’s personal collection have been packed up into about 600 boxes during renovation.

“The house is fitting for her period of history when she lived, and so it houses her collection beautifully,” said Rankin. “And so, it is important, I think, to save that aspect of it, but it’s also an intregal part of Chattanooga history.”

Some of the changes at the museum will include refinishing the floors, painting and installing an elevator.

After packing and other preparations, renovation will begin in earnest at the beginning of March. 

However, Pam Reed with the Houston Museum says they will continue serving the community at a temporary location. 

“Even though we will be closed for the next month or so, while we pack up all of the collection, we are actually going to have a temporary museum sort of like a pop up and that will last for the duration of the renovation. Which will take about a year and a half,” said Reed.