History up close and personal

BRISTOL, Va. The vacant remains of a former downtown Bristol car dealership have been converted into the state-of-the-art Birthplace of Country Music Museum, where craftsmen and their families toured Saturday afternoon.

Dr. Jessica Turner, the museums director, said she became teary eyed when the BurWil Construction trailer was removed from the property this past week.

Im really excited about having this particular group in the museum this weekend, because yall built this thing, Turner told construction staff. And you have your own stories to tell about what part you made happen in the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

BurWil began construction on the former Goodpasture Motor Company building site in January 2013. The 24,000 square foot brick facility, originally constructed in the mid-1920s at the corner of Cumberland Street and Moore Street, will open to the public on Aug. 1 as the new BCM Museum.

It hasnt been your ordinary construction project, Turner said.

The building was in poor condition when contractors began working last year, said BurWil project superintendent Anthony Huff. The brick exterior and some other structural components are all that remain of the original building, which also housed a cab company, a shoe store and a barber shop. Musical performances and other recreational activities have also taken place in the building.

It was originally built as a parking structure, said Huff, who noted that the second floor was sloped for drainage and resulted in several challenges.

During the first phase, BurWil President and Project Manager Bill Price said, the building was gutted and lead paint and concrete slabs were removed.

We took it down to the base structure, he said.

Overall building improvements, such as installation of new floors and electrical systems, were completed during the second phase. The last phase involved the installation of exhibits and audio-visual components of the museum.

Follow this link:
History up close and personal