The Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum
The Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum got an early holiday gift over the weekend – securing enough funds to make $151,500 of critical repairs, preventing the collapse of the 1904 World’s Fair Swedish Pavilion.
Museum Executive Director Aubrey Wheeler said this was a great milestone and announced the accomplishment at the museum’s Heritage Christmas event on December 14.
“History is a critical part of local culture and community,” she said. “Lindsborg takes such pride in preserving its Swedish-American history, and the Swedish Pavilion was a central stage for showing the town’s delight in the past. We are so thankful to be able to save the Pavilion and ensure its place in the story of the Smoky Valley.”
In June, the museum learned it was the recipient of $166,600 in Community Service Program (CSP) Tax Credits through the Kansas Department of Commerce. The credits are expected to raise $238,000 in donations before the end of the grant period next year in December 2025. State tax credits reduce the total amount of taxes owed to the state and are a way for taxpayers to substantially reduce the cost of contributing to the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum.
Businesses and individuals subject to Kansas income tax can receive a tax credit through this program. Donors giving at least $250 to the Pavilion Restoration & Improvement Project may qualify for a 70% tax credit. For example, a donor making a $1,000 gift receives a $700 tax credit when they file their state taxes, making the net cost to the donor only $300.
More information about efforts to preserve the Pavilion and how to donate under the program to receive tax benefits is available at www.oldmillmuseum.org/save-the-pavilion.
An engineering assessment in October 2023 found that the Pavilion is leaning by up to 2 degrees, considered severe “racking” and visible even to untrained observers. This structural failure could have led to the building’s collapse with the wrong circumstances. With this information about the risk, the museum's Board of Directors chose to close the Pavilion to the public until repairs could be finished.
With funding for structural repairs secured, work to ensure the building’s stability is expected to be completed in spring 2025. Once the building is safe to enter again, the museum plans to hold a grand reopening to celebrate the accomplishment.
Even after passing this milestone, however, there is still capacity for more than $85,000 of donations that could be eligible for tax credits under the CSP grant program.
Museum staff has noted that the current more than 30-year-old asphalt roof – which is not historically accurate – shows concerning signs of age. There are often leaks after heavy rain or snow, leading to the risk of water damage. Donations under the tax credit grant will provide a solid start toward roof replacement in this “Raise the Roof” campaign – estimated to cost about $175,000.
“This is a beautiful place with irreplaceable treasures,” Wheeler said. “We are so grateful for a generous community of support who are helping us to keep them pristine for future generations.”