Witte Museum
Location3801 Broadway St, San Antonio, TX, USA
Type(s) of establishment
Type Visible reserve
Collection Weapons, costumes, flags, documents and other Texas historical artifacts
The Naylor Morton Research and Collections Center at the Witte Museum has been created to provide visible access to the vast and diverse collection when not on display in the museum’s galleries.
The Center allows museum professionals to preserve the collection through proper light levels, temperature and humidity control, while providing access to visitors and researchers from around the world.
The Scope
Developed by architects Lake Flato and in collaboration with Lord Cultural Resources, this 2013 project included sophisticated display cases with shock-free exhibition drawers, each supplied with their own climate control system.
Challenge
The main challenge in this project was to create these extremely robust , vibration-free and self-closing glass-covered exhibition drawers.
The extensive list of needs and features for these drawers, along with the complexity of the design and integration to the bases underneath these tall glass cases were tested and completed through trial and error.
Our Solutions
The creation of a prototype was necessary and allowed the client to validate the design and quality of the product. The review process was severe.
The Witte called for a group of children to test the robustness of the case and its drawers. This project brought the design and constructability of our exhibition drawers to a whole new level!
Museum iconic artifact, the 650 lbs, amethyst donated by Albert Steves, Sr.
