Living History Farms in Urbandale expects to break ground on its $6.2 million facilities expansion and improvement project in July after the state Iowa Economic Development Authority board Friday awarded the project a $1.488 million Destination Iowa grant.

The outdoor history museum’s “Cultivating Our Future” capital campaign was one of three economic development projects statewide to receive Destination Iowa program funds Friday. The program provides competitive grants to expand primary destinations throughout the state to increase tourism.

Elizabeth Keest Sedrel, Living History Farms director of marketing and communications, said Tuesday that the multiphase project will see the construction of a new Cultivation Center, which will also serve as an entrance to the 500-acre complex.

The plans also include renovating and converting the existing visitor’s center into a learning center with flexible classroom space and creating a new outdoor courtyard and picnic pavilion to connect the two structures, she said.

Living History Farms has enough climate-controlled space today to book small, reservation-only programs from November through April, the outdoor museum’s off-season, which Keest Sedrel said frequently sell out.

“We’re going to be able to do a lot more programming year-round. We’re on 500 acres and very few of our buildings are climate-controlled, so with this learning center we’re going to have classrooms and an exhibition kitchen that are usable year-round,” she said.

The Living History Farms Foundation will be the recipient of the grant money. The foundation supports the efforts of the museum that features Iowa’s agricultural and cultural history.

According to a project summary and application document filed with IEDA, the project will more than double the modern indoor space on the museum’s campus at 11121 Hickman Road.

Keest Sedrel said the additional modern climate-controlled space with security cameras will allow Living History Farms to display more rotating exhibits from its own curated collection and meet industry-standard requirements to secure more traveling exhibits.

The new amenities will include:

• Flexible classroom/preschool classroom and spaces for year-round educational programs
• Exhibit hall
• Outdoor program areas
• Picnic tables
• Firepit area
• Family restrooms
• Adult changing station
• Mother’s room

Keest Sedrel said the new exhibition kitchen will allow for larger groups to attend Living History Farm’s historic cooking classes. The adult changing table, mother’s room and family restroom will make the facility more accessible.

“These are things we know people want,” Keest Sedrel said. ” … Once we have that we feel like we’re going to be a much easier place for a nursing mom or a family with young kids or an adult with physical disabilities to come and have a good experience.”

According to its website, Living History Farms estimates its community economic impact will grow by $1 million annually from $5.9 million to $6.9 million as a result of the project. The organization says it will generate an estimated $200,000 in annual hotel/motel taxes, nearly $300,000 in state tax revenue and more than $800,000 in federal taxes.

According to Keest Sedrel, the Destination Iowa award is the largest individual gift to Living History Farms since it was founded in 1970, and puts the museum foundation at more than $5 million committed or raised, nearly 82% of its fundraising goal.

On April 3, Living History Farms announced in a news release financial commitments to the project from the Nelson Family and Kemin Industries, Mary and Dale Andringa, and the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust.

Project partners include FEH Design for architecture, interior design and structural engineering; KCL Engineering for mechanical, electrical, technology and plumbing; Snyder & Associates for civil engineering and landscape architecture; and Ball Team LLC is the construction manager.

The foundation said in its IEDA grant application that the project will be completed in April 2026. Keest Sedrel said the expansion plan has been in the works since 2017 with an original public launch date for the capital campaign in 2020. But the pandemic put the plans on hold.

“When we came back to it, a lot of things had changed including supply chain and prices. So we didn’t quite have to start from scratch but we did have to go back and really think about our priorities.”

Other Destination Iowa recipients

The Iowa Legislature appropriated $6.5 million to the Destination Iowa program for the 2024 fiscal year.

During the meeting Friday, the IEDA board also awarded a $650,000 grant to the Hardin County Conservation Board for its nearly $2.7 million Pine Ridge Park Redevelopment on the Iowa River in Steamboat Rock.

The IEDA also selected the Ridge Golf Association Inc. and the city of Sioux Center to receive a $750,000 grant for its $3.07 million Lil Wispy project to build a short golf course on an existing 18-hole facility.