Union Station exhibits, Jazz and WWI museums to close in March over covid-19 concerns
The American Jazz Museum, the WWI Museum and Union Station will be closing their doors or shutting down specific exhibits at least through the month of March.
The organizations made their announcements Saturday, joining a growing list of Kansas City institutions taking action to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Union Station will not be shutting down entirely. From March 14 through March 31, Science City, the Planetarium, the Model Rail Gallery and the Genghis Khan Exhibition will be closed, according to the website.
Other attractions, restaurants, shops and office spaces will remain open based upon decisions by individual tenants. The post office and Amtrak will also remain open.
While the space remains open, the website said, Union Station will continue with enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols.
Saturday afternoon the World War I Museum and Memorial announced they would shut down at 5 p.m. March 14 and remain closed through April 3.
“The history shared at the Museum and Memorial teaches us that pandemics are best managed when communities work in partnership,” Matthew Naylor, the museum’s president, said in a news release. “Failure to do so can change the course of history.”
The American Jazz Museum will also be closed starting Saturday and reopen on April 4, according to a news release. All events in the museum’s Blue Room and Gem Theater will also be canceled during that time span.
“Thank you for your supporting AJM and each other. Please continue to visit our website for updates and access to wonderful jazzy digital content,” said the museum’s executive director, Rashida Phillips, in the release.
Wonderscope Children’s Museum in Shawnee will also close for the foreseeable future.
The closings follow similar moves by museums and entertainment venues across the Kansas City area such as The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts.
Local, county and state officials have declared states of emergency. forcing the cancellation of all events with over 1,000 people in some parts of the metro area and 250 in others.
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 3:51 PM.
