From 60 to 500 in two years or less

UPDATE: “From 60 to 500 in Two Years or Less” has reached the action phase!

The Diefenbunker, Canada’s Cold War Museum, is pleased to announce that our Building Capacity project will begin on September 14, 2009. In order to increase our visitor capacity from 60 to 500 people, the Diefenbunker will be temporarily closed for the start of renovations from September 14 to September 27, 2009. We will re-open to the public as of September 28.

UPDATE: As of June, we've raised $1, 244, 000! We're almost there — thanks to all our donors so far. If you haven't contributed yet, you can still help push us to our goal!

The Diefenbunker, Canada’s Cold War Museum, is proud of its status as a national museum. Ironically, this fascinating building, originally built to house Canada’s key government personnel in the case of a nuclear attack, does not meet current building code regulations. This has resulted in a virtual “concrete ceiling” when it comes to bringing in enough visitors to generate sufficient revenue to expand exhibits and fund other initiatives such as educational programs and research.

“Staff and volunteers have had the most wonderful, creative ideas for programs ranging from corporate team building events, to children’s spy camps, and we have accomplished an amazing amount of work in our ten years, but our hands have always been tied by the restriction of only being able to allow 60 people in the building at a time,” states Alexandra Badzak, Executive Director of the museum. “We could have a few tours going on OR an event, but not both! We have had to turn visitors away on numerous occasions. This kind of word-of-mouth has been detrimental to our ability to grow.”

With the encouraging news that various governmental organizations are committed to help fund the retrofit that will allow the museum to increase capacity to 500 (while conserving the historical integrity of the building) the time has come to turn to the public to help us raise the required additional funds. We are calling the campaign “From 60 to 500 in two years or less!”

By contributing to this cause, you will be part of helping to ensure that this amazing artefact is kept open to the public as a reminder of a pivotal—and globally dangerous—part of history. If we hope to prevent repetition, we must keep the memory of past conflict alive in our collective consciousness.

The staff and volunteers at the Diefenbunker, Canada’s Cold War Museum, are working hard to raise the funds necessary to undertake the work required to increase visitor capacity from 60 to 500 guests at a time. This will be good for the restaurants and businesses in the area and will help ensure that this important historical site is preserved for future generations.

How we are going to do it

The Building Capacity Project involves renovations to the Diefenbunker, so that it can fulfill the City of Ottawa’s Fire Code regulations and bring occupancy levels up to full capacity (500 people as opposed to the 60 person limitation currently imposed).

The reason the Diefenbunker wishes to undertake this project is to improve visitor access to the museum which will result in greater fulfillment of the institution’s mandate and increase self-generated revenue.

To donate, click on the "Donate now through CanadaHelps.org" button on the left-hand bar of this page, or download a donation form pdf at the bottom of this page.

NEW: Check out our Exclusive Tour Events for a unique private outing that will also help our cause!

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