Cedar Rapids to move Czech museum to higher ground
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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Thousands of people are expected in downtown Cedar Rapids to watch as the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library is moved to higher ground.
The museum, which opened in 1995 on the banks of the Cedar River, was flooded in 2008. Eight feet of water inundated the building, reaching just inches below an ornate crystal chandelier. Now the 18,000-square-foot wood-frame building with brick veneer will be moved about 100 yards and elevated so it's safe from future flooding.
The move is scheduled for late April, and officials expect as many as 10,000 people to show up, The Gazette in Cedar Rapids reported.
"A lot of it is weather-driven," said Bill Meeks, the city's traffic engineering project administrator. "If it's a beautiful day, your crowd could easily double or triple."
The museum is in the Czech Village, a neighborhood where many Central European immigrants settled in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Nearly 600 homes also were damaged when the Cedar River poured out of its banks in June 2008, swamping about 10 miles of the city.
Museum officials have asked the city to close several streets and a bridge as the museum is moved. The city council eventually would vote on any street closures, likely at its meeting on April 12.
Officials said the move is attracting international attention, with media inquiries coming from the Czech Republic and elsewhere.
The process will take weeks. The building will be moved April 26 and April 27 to its new site and placed next to the foundation. The building will be elevated to its final height on May 17 before being rolled onto the foundation and secured May 21.
The museum should be open in May 2012.
