West End Museum Undergoing Renovations From Flood Damage

After succumbing to a flood in early 2022, the West End Museum is now undergoing renovations, with its main gallery expected to reopen next March 15.

On Jan. 15 of last year, a sprinkler check-valve ruptured on the fourth floor of West End Place at 150 Staniford St., leading to flooding in nearly 30 units on the building’s bottom four floors, as well as in the adjacent West End Museum and office space.

It initially appeared as though most of the exhibit items would emerge unscathed, according to Sebastian Belfanti, the West End Museum’s executive director. But the museum kept the temperature at around 90 degrees, he said, and due to the humidity, some of the photos from “The Last Tenement” exhibit were either ripped off their base material, or in some cases, the bolts holding them in place were ripped right out of the wall.