The Maritime Museum of BC (MMBC) has officially announced that they will be moving forward with their ‘Future of History Project,’ which would see the museum move into the reimagined Steamship Building in Victoria’s Inner Harbour.
As a part of the BC government’s Belleville Terminal Redevelopment Project, changes will be coming to the iconic Steamship Building as a part of this endeavour.
Long has it been rumoured that a part of these changes would be moving the MMBC into a new space.
Essentially, the MMBC’s Future of History Project seeks to move the museum and see that a Lekwungen welcome centre and exhibit space be incorporated on a floating structure adjoining the Steamship Building that would be dedicated to the Songhees and Xʷsepsəm (Esquimalt) Nations.
The MMBC says that this space would emphasize the local Nations’ presence and deep connection to coastal waters, which dates back thousands of years.
To make this project a reality, the MMBC has been working with both Nations to navigate negotiations with the Province.
This project would cost around $40 million, and was recently approved at the MMBC’s annual general meeting by its board and members.
Though it has now been approved by the MMBC, negotiations with the province for the site are ongoing.
The MMBC was first established in 1955, and was located at Signal Hill in Esquimalt.
It moved to the former court building in Bastion Square back in 1965, where it stayed for nearly 50 years until 2014.
Following this, the MMBC operated out of a temporary, smaller location at 634 Humboldt Street before moving to its current location at 744 Douglas Street in 2021.
The Douglas Street location was reportedly always intended to be an interim location for the museum, as more prominent and larger spaces were explored.
