The Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, for almost eight decades the only museum in the country devoted solely to arms and armor, will close for good in December — the end of an institution renowned for its castlelike building and fanciful activities as well as for its historical treasures.
The museum’s interim director, Suzanne W. Maas, will announce the closure Friday.
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Why must everything unique and cool either close or die? I hope the collection will continue to be housed in that wonderful "castlelike building", but this being Massachusetts, where the new and boxy and ugly reigns supreme, I somehow doubt it.
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"Why must everything unique and cool either close or die?"
This is Worcester afterall. Have you seen where the Museum is? In an out-of-the way place in a not-so-nice area.
Of course I'm made aware of the exostence of this really cool place by an article about it's shuttering. OH well.
How sad -- just yesterday I was thinking about the Higgins Armory and wondering how it was doing (that flood they had a few years ago and all...). This was not what I wanted to hear. I loved that place as a child -- the dog in armor made a big impression. I took my family there after I grew up and left Worcester, too. Great building still, great gift shop (which they didn't have when I was little, I guess) -- guess my refrigerator magnet is now a collector's item.
And it is not really that much out of the way -- it is close to a highway, though, yes, it is in an industrial area because it was built next door to Higgins's steel factory building (Worcester Pressed Steel). You can still go visit for the rest of the year!
On the subject of the building, Wikipedia says it was built in 1931 at a cost of 300,000! I hope it is not torn down -- its architecture is almost ecclesiastical. I really enjoyed running around the large exhibit halls and up and down the staircases.
I just went to The Higgins on a middle school field trip earlier this week. The students found the exhibits fascinating and thoroughly enjoyed the hands-on room, playing with everything as though they were years younger. That was a surprise to me. I've been on many field trips with them, but this was the first museum we've gone to where they were allowed to handle things, try them on, and play. It resulted in a very different, deeper experience for them. I hope this aspect of the museum will be maintained when the Higgins collection moves to the Worcester Art Museum. The article in today's Globe mentions how successfully the Higgins connects with families and the younger generation. It's not only the amazing collection, it's the hands-on interaction as well.