The Grout Museum District is preparing to demolish its former science center, the Bluedorn Science Imaginarium, this summer.
The museum district closed the Imaginarium in October after it served as a science center for over three decades. The crescent-shaped structure opened as a bank in the 1960s and its prominent location and curve of windows made it a recognizable feature of Waterloo’s downtown.
“It's sad. It’s always sad when you have to tear down a building” said District Executive Director Margaret Moyes. “There have also been a few people who are angry [about the decision] and I can respect that as well. There have been a lot of buildings getting torn down in Waterloo.”
The building's condition had deteriorated, and it required significant renovation, Moyes said.
The decision to demolish the Bluedorn Science Imaginarium is part of a restructuring plan at the Grout as the nonprofit faces funding uncertainty. A 2023 property tax reform measure moved the museum’s voter-approved tax levy into the City of Waterloo’s general fund. The city council has continued to grant those funds to the museum district — about $625,000 annually —which Moye credits to a “steady stream of advocacy” from community members.
But Moye said the city is facing its own revenue challenges stemming from the tax reforms, and she expects the levy to be phased out completely in the coming years. As such, the museum district is looking to diversify its funding model.
Since it was approved by Waterloo voters in 2015, Moye said the levy became 44% of the museum's budget.
“So, we're implementing a range of strategies and really hitting home on 'What are the functions that we do, and what is the best way to achieve those functions?' Because we don’t want to cut services,” Moye said.
The museum has restructured its staffing as a result, cutting five positions and creating three others with a focus on outreach and development.
While walking through the shuttered Bluedorn on a mid-June afternoon, Moye said it felt “counterintuitive” for a museum to demolish a building.
"But I think most people understand why we’ve had to do it,” she said.
The district declined an offer from a potential buyer who wanted to restore the building this spring. The land abuts the museum’s historic Rensselaer Russell House. The museum plans to keep it for possible future use.
Inside the Bluedorn, the windows of the old bank offices, converted into exhibition spaces, retain messages left by community members on the museum’s closing day. Many express gratitude and recall memories of experiences at the museum over the years.
Moye recognized the Bluedorn's importance, noting its legacy will continue when the Grout opens a science education space in its main building this fall.
“We want to retain a children's science center experience for Northeast Iowa,” she said. “We're the only ones offering that in this area, and we know there's a need for it.”
