Marine Museum downtown site now closed
Alexander Henry in Picton
Created: 27.Apr.2016
Last update: 31.Aug.2016
Section: City Hall
The Marine Museum’s site on Ontario Street is now closed; all that remains is the faded outline of the museum’s name on the building’s exterior. The contents are being moved to the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour.
The former Coast Guard ice breaker, Alexander Henry, which had been moored in the adjacent dry dock, has been moved to Picton. The ship is now located at a salvager site near Picton, awaiting a decision on its future next year. Possibilities include sinking the ship to become a dive site, tearing it down for scrap, or more recently the possibility of sending it to Thunder Bay where it was built in the late 1950s.
BackgroundCity Council decided at a special meeting (29.Jun.2016) to provide a temporary home for the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour. The meeting was held off the normal schedule because of the need to make a decision before lake waters fell further. With normal receding water depths in summer, it would soon not have been possible to move the Alexander Henry from its berth next to the museum.In April a museum spokesman said that the museum itself had to be moved, probably away from Kingston.
Developer Jay Patry bought the property and buildings from the federal government in January 2016. His purchase included the museum building, the adjacent drydock, and additional surrounding land.
The Museum, which had been paying no rent, would have had to find increased revenues of 60% or more to continue to break even on the operation of the facility. They had hoped to find support from various levels of government but only minor funding was available from the city.
Christopher West, chairman of the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes board of directors, at one point said,“We are moving,” and that the board had tentatively spoken with the city of Hamilton.
The change also required re-locating the former Coast Guard ice breaker Alexander Henry from the dry dock adjacent to the museum. The ship has operated in the past as a bed & breakfast.
The Museum was situated on Ontario St. for 40 years but was forced to be out by August 23. Patry gave the Museum 120 days notice, as required by his purchase agreement with the federal government, on April 22 (2016).
Related LinksMurky waters for Alexander Henry (Whig, 30.Aug.2016)
The Future of the Marine Museum (Mayor Patterson’s blog, 27.Apr.2016)
New owner of Marine Museum property issues eviction notice (CKWS-TV, 26.Apr.2016)
Developer on marine museum: 'We tried working with them' (Whig, 26.Apr.2016)