Double the fun for Museum of North Idaho

COEUR d’ALENE — An anonymous donor recently gave the Museum of North Idaho $100,000 and is offering to give even more. 

How much more depends on the community. 

Museum Executive Director Britt Thurman said the donor will match up to $100,000 in donations, with the money going toward its capital campaign for its new home. This means $20 becomes $40, $100 becomes $200, and $1,000 becomes $2,000. It is the largest individual donation to the campaign. 

“This is a huge step toward getting us moved into our new home in the J.C. White House this fall,” Thurman said Wednesday. 

The museum is already part way there, because it raised about $23,000 toward the match at its recent annual gala. 

“We are asking the community to help get us the rest of the way,” Thurman said. 

She said the anonymous donor’s gift "restored our faith that we're going to have a museum ready for everybody to come into before the end of the year.” 

“We were over the moon when they let us know that's what they wanted to do,” Thurman said.

The museum has been facing trials as of late. 

It had to leave its longtime home near City Park sooner than expected after high levels of mold were found in the aging building earlier this year. It found a temporary site, 115 S. Fourth St., owned by John Montandon in downtown Coeur d'Alene, and after a lot of cleaning and painting, opened there with some of its exhibits.

Displays include exhibits on the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, fur traders, Fort Sherman, mining, logging, hydroplanes, steamboats and fire lookouts.

Thurman said while they are happy to be there, visitor count has been much lower than usual as it’s a less prominent position in town and most don’t know it’s there.

"We would love to have more people stop by," Thurman said.

The museum’s plan was to open this spring in the J.C. White House that was relocated in 2019 from Eighth Street and Sherman Avenue to the base of Tubbs Hill at McEuen Park.

Plans call for renovating the historic structure into an expanded facility to house exhibits, art and educational resources. 

Phase One is about $3 million and only $175,000 remains to have that paid off. 

Phase Two, another $3 million, will fund a 5,000-square-foot- underground expansion, with most of that for exhibits and some for a state-of-the art room to store rare and fragile pieces. 

It hopes to open in October, a move that has been delayed due to construction issues. 

Thurman said work on their new home is coming along well now.

“Every time you go in there’s something different,” she said.  

Thurman said matching donations are wonderful, as they give people even more reason to contribute to the future of the Museum of North Idaho. 

“How much better of an impact can you have with your money?” she said.

The Museum of North Idaho is classified as an educational entity by the state of Idaho and donations qualify for tax credits. Visit museumni.org/donate for more information and to make a donation. 

    People walk past the Museum of North Idaho, 115 S., Fourth St., in Coeur d'Alene.