Golden’s Astor House to get overhaul

The Astor House Museum in downtown Golden closed its doors Sept. 8 to undergo a major rehabilitation and preservation project.

The project is an “opportunity to reimagine the Astor House experience for people,” said Doug Skiba, development and communications coordinator with Golden History Museums.

The museum will remain closed until sometime in 2017.

Cost of the project is nearly a half-million dollars. It will include some construction projects, and what Skiba called reinterpretation projects, which will provide interactive and immersive features for visitors.

History Colorado, through the State Historical Fund, awarded Golden History Museums a $ 200,000 grant in 2015. The grant was matched dollar-for-dollar by the city of Golden.

Despite the fact the building is nearly 150 years old, its exterior walls are solid. But interior modifications are necessary to ensure its preservation. The renovation calls for inserting steel support beams and columns, adding concrete retaining walls and doing backyard work to avert water intrusion. Skiba estimated those construction projects will be completed in five or six months.

The reinterpretation projects will take much longer, Skiba said. Staff will catalog and remove nearly every item from the museum, which is a three-floor building.

Progress on the Astor House construction and rehabilitation can be followed at www.GoldenHistory.org/AstorHouse.