DeKALB – Admiring the movable walls, specialty lighting and glass cases in Northern Illinois University's new Anthropology Museum, Sara Pfannkuche said the old setting pales in comparison to its new home.
"This is kind of what I had hoped this space would look like," said Pfannkuche, interim director of the Anthropology Museum, which is now located in Cole Hall.
An open house Sunday at the newly renovated Cole Hall on NIU's campus offered the public its first look at the Anthropology Museum.
Cole Hall reopened Jan. 17 after being shuttered for nearly four years. On Feb. 14, 2008, a former NIU student walked into Room 101 in Cole Hall shortly after 3 p.m. and opened fire, killing five students and injuring 21 others before turning the gun on himself.
Students Gayle Dubowski, Catalina Garcia, Julianna Gehant, Ryanne Mace and Daniel Parmenter were killed during the shooting. In 2009, a memorial garden was created next to Cole Hall in their honor.
The 1960s-era building was given an extensive overhaul during a $6 million renovation that began almost a year ago. It is now equipped with a "collaboratory" classroom that features state-of-the-art technology, a lecture hall and the Anthropology Museum.
The museum had been housed in a converted classroom in the Stevens Building since 1976; it closed in July 2010, Pfannkuche said.
Because the anthropology department was originally located in Cole Hall in the 1960s, re-establishing the museum there seemed like the perfect opportunity, "bringing us back, I guess, to where we started," Pfannkuche said.
NIU President John Peters said Sunday that the location of the museum is appropriate because Fay-Cooper Cole, whom the building is named for, was an anthropologist.
Pfannkuche said there's no question the Cole Hall location is a modern museum; its previous location had the undeniable feel of a classroom, she said.
A heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system monitors temperature and humidity, which is key to keeping art and artifacts in good condition, Pfannkuche said. Specialty lighting and movable walls create a gallery feel and the front glass cases offer a view into the museum that's hard to miss, she said.
"This is what you expect," she said of the well-lit, temperature-controlled space that was filled with people Sunday. The museum will feature traveling exhibits and student work. Current exhibits showcase prairie photographs and Korean theater masks and costumes.
Pfannkuche said the museum is for NIU students and staff as well as the community.
"It's just light years ahead of our old space," said Judy Ledgerwood, former chairwoman of the anthropology department.
She and anthropology professor Sue Russell were excited about the possibility of local schools and others touring the museum.
Anthropology department Chairman Kendall Thu said the open house was "kind of a cathartic event."
Anthropology involves the study of humanity and looking at the past to envision the future, Thu said. She said that's the spirit of the university's Forward, Together Forward mantra.
The museum's opening is an important milestone for NIU, he said.
"It's nice that something so good can come out of something so tragic," said George Spencer, who toured the museum with his wife, Elaine. Both taught in Cole Hall as history professors.
Peters said he was pleased anthropology professors and students have a space to be proud of that's housed within a building that honors those who died.
"What better place for us to study and observe the history of humanity?" Peters said.
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