City of McDonough Georgia

C.O. Polk Interactive Museum

Reimagining the local history museum as a digital hub for residents and tourists.

Download C.O. Polk Interactive Museum – Project PDF

Download C.O. Polk Interactive Museum, Customer Experience Diagrams

C.O. Polk Interactive Museum, exterior

Museum Planning, LLC was hired by the City of McDonough, Georgia to create a local history museum. We created digital experiences that excite both local residents and area tourists. Over the last three years, the Museum Planning LLC team worked with the City of McDonough, Georgia, and delivered a “turn-key” museum, fully complete and ready for the public.

Starting with a historic building of a unused post office with contained a WPA era mural by Jean Charlot, created a local hub to anchor a revitalized city square and serve as a tourist destination for families traveling along Route 75 a major Florida to New England thoroughfare.

The C.O. Polk Interactive Museum is cinematic, an interactive experience designed to put the visitor first and help them to make personal, emotional connections with the City of McDonough. Housed in a historic former post office, the exhibits take the visitors on a journey, from a holographic introduction by the Mayor to informative, interactive visual displays interspersed with state of the art videos.

Opening Date: July 20, 2019

Client: City of McDonough, Georgia

Services: Museum Master Planning, Interior Design, Exhibition Design, Owner’s Representation, Project Management, Website Design

Project Partners:
Architect, Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood
Video Production, Boston Productions
Exhibit Fabrication, Malone Fabrication

Project Budget:
Building Renovation $511,941
Exhibition Fabrication $590,000 ($327.77 per square ft) 1,800 square feet
Plus Soft Costs, Feasibility Study, Architecture, Exhibition Design, Events, Staff

Museum Social Media:
Twitter @copolkmuseum
facebook @copolkmuseum
Instagram @copolkmuseum
Pinterest @copolkmuseum
Linkedin
YouTube

Press:
Museum Launch Nearing in Downtown McDonough Henry County Times, December 12th 2018
New McDonough Museum Seeking Public’s Assistance Henry Herald, December 10th 2018
Construction Expenditures Approved for McDonough Museum Henry Herald, January 22nd 2018
Public Gets Preview of McDonough’s Future Interactive Museum Henry Herald, May 24th 2017
McDonough Aiming to ‘Bring History to Life’ With New Museum Henry Herald, January 31st 2017

Project Documentation:

Project Design Philosophy:

Starting with a unifying theory of “McDonough Heart”, the design team created an open floor plan that grouped exhibits to support the idea of “McDonough Heart”. Working with five objectives to support the unifying theme of “McDonough Heart”:
1. #MuseumMashup, the museum is an amalgam of a Local History Museum, Science Center, Natural History Museum, and Art Museum
2. A Museum “Without Walls” the visitor experience starts online with online games, database and 3D Scans and continues in-person and then again at home to drive repeat visitation
3. Event Driven, Wine Tasting, Mommy and Me Reading Time, Community Conference Area, and Maker Space Activities
4. 100% Digital all exhibit content available online and in-person
5. Easily changeable and updatable