First on decorahnews.com: A new look is being considered for Vesterheim's outdoor facilities

The outdoor area would have several facilities for small gatherings

Vesterheim Museum is considering major upgrades to the landscaping of its Outdoor Division behind the main museum building on Water Street.
 
Vesterheim President/CEO Chris Johnson has already shown a rough draft of the plan to the Decorah Historical Preservation Commission and to the Decorah Planning & Zoning Commission, both of which were supportive.  He tells decorahnews.com that museum officials are looking for additional feedback in upcoming months in order to tweak the rough draft sketches.
 
A big factor in the proposed landscaping changes is handicapped accessibility to the out buildings on the Vesterheim campus.  Other features include a "great lawn" which could hold small events, an outdoor amphitheater for other events, a storm water garden with native plantings and additional small buildings.
 
Johnson says the proposed upgrades to the Outdoor Division are part of a long-range plan which would see improvements to other Vesterheim buildings in multiple phases.  He says all of the changes being discussed are on the drawing board because museum leaders are looking for a way to improve how they're telling the story of the immigration of Norwegians to the United States.  The idea is to do so in a way that relates to people who are the descendants of immigrants of other nationalities, as well as to Norwegian descendants.
 
Johnson's goal is to have the changes made by 2025.  That will be the 200th anniversary of the first organized group of immigrants from Norway to the United States.  A major observance is being planned for that year, so Vesterheim officials want to make sure their facilities are in top shape by that date.
 

A sketch of the proposed changes to Vesterheim's outdoor facilities

The architectural drawing of the possible changes