page_title: Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science
section_title: Renovation
hierarchical_section_title: Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science / Renovation
caption_attribution_description: English: A pyramid made of marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti for demonstration purposes in the Michaelis Classroom at the Fresno Met. Picture has been digitally altered to further improve picture quality
context_page_description: The Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science was a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate and American Alliance of Museums accredited museum located in downtown Fresno, California, in the San Joaquin Valley. The Museum was established in 1984 and was one of the largest museums between San Francisco and Los Angeles. "The Met" was housed in the historic 1922 Fresno Bee Building.
  In August 2005, the museum began an extensive interior renovation; the first of its kind since the Museum's opening. The museum reopened on November 13, 2008 and closed on January 5, 2010, after defaulting on its renovation loans.
context_section_description: The museum's $28 million renovation project brought the historic 1922 Fresno Bee Building into the 21st century, with more accessible gallery space, new restroom facilities and elevators, and remodeled fourth and fifth floors, which previously had not been opened as gallery space. The building underwent significant structural enhancements, specifically on the west wall from the footings below the basement up to the fifth floor. The existing support columns consisting of steel reinforced concrete were enhanced in the basement and first floor. The building reopened November 13, 2008.
  The museum's fourth floor consisted of a large gallery space that also served as a forum for educational purposes and housed the Michaelis Classroom in an adjacent room.  The fifth floor became the home for the museum's administrative offices and also housed a conference room and research library.
caption: A model pyramid in the Michaelis Classroom.
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