Upgrades to Marine Museum of the Great Lakes come in time for new exhibits

The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ont. completes upgrades to century old windows and doors, following an injection of federal cash. (Kimberley Jonhson/CTV News Ottawa)

The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes says upgrades to its building have been completed just in time to launch some new exhibits.

The museum at 55 Ontario St. in Kingston, Ont. focuses on the maritime and shipbuilding history of the region.

It got $300,000 in funding from the federal government in November to help with renovations. The money was part of millions set aside to support tourism in southeastern Ontario by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Volunteers have slowly renovated the building throughout the pandemic, but museum programs and communications manager Michelle Clarabut says major upgrades were needed to fix rotting doors and windows in the building, which is part of a national historic site. Sections of the building date back to 1890 and the First World War.

"Now, we’re able to say we have fully restored windows that are absolutely transformative to the space," she says. "You walk in now, the windows aren’t boarded up, they are bright, they are wide open, and the space is beautiful. With the ongoing restoration work by our volunteers, with repainting the floor, repainting the walls, it really sets the space up for new exhibits, new experiences at the site, new programs."

Clarabut says an exhibit focusing on 100 years of the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve will launch on June 1, now that the work has been completed.

"It sets the stage for so many more exciting exhibits, programs, opportunities, and provides a space for people to come in, and enjoy and see and experience what connects them, specifically with the maritime history of Kingston and the Great Lakes,” she explains.