Pennsylvania Trolley Museum To Build New 21,000-Square-Foot Welcome And Education Center
CHARTIERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) -- A major attraction is coming to Washington County.
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is in the process of building a 21,000-square-foot welcome and education center in Chartiers Township.
The new facility will be great for tourism and the economy after more than a year of struggles due to the pandemic.
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum typically gets around 30,000 visitors per year. The new facility will be able to accommodate around 50,000 people.
"It's going to contain all kinds of event rooms, interactive exhibits the Carnegie Science Center is designing and fabricating for us, an expanded museum store and dedicated classroom," said Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum Scott Becker.
It's a $10 million project that will bring a lot of history to people of all ages and backgrounds.
"The new building will really allow us to interpret the trolley era in a better way. We want to improve the visitor experience even more than it is now," said Becker.
That visitor experience is an integral part of Washington County's economy.
"This will add about 116 permanent jobs for the future, a wonderful experience for families, for children, for schools for everyone to come to have hands-on STEM learning opportunities and a step back into the past like no other," said Pa. Senator Camera Bartolotta.
Washington-based general contractor Waller Corporation was given the job.
"It's a big project for the community with us being right here in Washington. It was nice to have this opportunity for the museum," said Anne Seckely of Waller Corporation.
The project is expected to be finished by spring of next year. Until then, the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum encourages people to come out and visit. They'll be open Tuesday through Sundays starting in June.
