The Mattapoisett Museum is excited to announce that a new museum entrance will soon be constructed to provide all community members with direct access to all sections of the museum. The new entrance will bring visitors into a new foyer located on the East side of the building, from which visitors will enter the Mendell Room and have direct access to both the Sanctuary and the Carriage House.
This entrance will be fully accessible to all visitors, including those who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices, bring strollers or carriages, and who may have difficulty with stairs. The existing entrances will be used, in addition to the new entrance, only for events with large numbers of attendees. The current wheelchair-accessible entrance will remain available if needed.
This project has been years in the making. After determining the need for a universal access entrance, the museum spent two years seeking funding, working with a local architect and a local engineering firm on the design, and soliciting bids for construction and related services.
Construction of the new entrance will begin shortly after Labor Day. Because the Sanctuary and Carriage House will be protected from dust, dirt and activity by shutting off those portions of the building, the museum will end its 2026 season after Labor Day weekend. Although the museum will be closed for most activities during this construction, the two scheduled concerts, Grace Morrison on September 12 and Hot Club Cheese Roll on October 24, will take place as advertised. The September Open Mic event is canceled; we will provide an update regarding the October Open Mic event as we learn when the work is likely to be completed.
If you haven’t yet seen “When Swordfish Fly,” our current exhibit, and you would like to do so before the summer ends, please visit us on Friday or Saturday, 12 to 4 pm, August 21–22, 28–29, or September 3–4. Museum members and interested others, we would love to see you at the Museum’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, September 3, at 6:00 PM. Information about the meeting will be posted in the Wanderer. If you have specific questions about this project, please look for updates in the Wanderer or attend the meeting, where an update will be provided.